Mass Effect: Subjugation
by Sigyn2011
Summary: Occurs during ME 3 just after the Sanctuary mission. This is what could have happened with Shepard and Miranda.
1. Chapter 1

Mass Effect: Subjugation

Chapter One

Sanctuary, Horizon, 2186, 1947h

"No deal."

Shepard watched Miranda Lawson biotically throw her biological but estranged father Henry Lawson down from the control tower to plunge to his death. He lowered his weapon and holstered it as she caught her breath. Once she did, she hurried over to Oriana, who was just picking herself up from the ground. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Miranda inquired, as her eyes searched her sister's body for wounds.

"I'm fine, I just…wanna get outta here," the young adult returned warily and stepped into her sister's embrace. "It's over for us, now, isn't it?"

Miranda sighed, pulled away, and gave her a smile. "Yes, it is. Neither of us will have to suffer from Father's punishments any longer." She wiped away a few tears that had run down her cheeks. "Both of us can stop running now."

"Could we get out of-…I mean…oh God, 'Randa, you're bleeding!" Oriana exclaimed as she examined her own hand and saw that it was stained with blood.

Shepard stepped towards both women and tapped his omni-tool twice in order to prepare an activation of medi-gel. "We need to get you some medical attention. Dr. Chakwas will take a look at you back on the Normandy."

"Give me a minute, okay?" Miranda told Oriana and limped over to Shepard. He immediately swept the omni-tool over her left side. The blood began to clot instantaneously like a freak of nature.

"Damn, I forgot that you said that you heal quickly. You weren't kidding," he shook his head. "Miranda, about your father, I..."

"I'm glad he's gone, Shepard. I'm sorry if that sounds cold." She motioned to the broken glass window with her head and frowned.

"No, it doesn't. I only know a little about what he put you both through, and believe you me, if you had waited half a second longer, I would've done it myself to the son of a bitch."

Miranda turned, and her face brightened into a genuine smile. "I'm glad you came, Shepard." She paused and folded her arms across her chest. "I never expected to play the part of a damsel in distress. It's quite an antiquated notion, really."

"It's a role that I was certainly happy to fulfill." He ran his gloved fingers down her right cheek. "Time and time again, Miss Lawson."

"I took a few precautions against Kai Leng when you mentioned that he was involved, and thank you once again for trusting me with those Alliance resources."

"You're more than welcome, and I only wish that you'd told me about this place so that I could have helped you."

"Shepard, you've already got enough to worry about," Miranda sighed. "You didn't need any more complications to your mission."

"I'd hardly call this place a 'complication' or a 'tangent'. But nobody else could've done it better than you," Shepard lifted one of her hands away and kissed the back of it. "We'll make sure that everyone knows the truth about this place, thanks to you."

"I couldn't just walk away from this evil."

"I know." He released her hand and glanced upon his comrades, Lt. James Vega and Lt. Commander Ashley Williams, who were studying the console in front of them. "What've we got?"

"Some data is here on the shuttles and departures of the experiments this bastard made. There should be enough info for EDI and Traynor to sift through to make a few wild educated guesses about where Cerberus' HQ are," Williams stated. "They did get us here."

"Speculation on your part is no longer a necessity," Miranda announced and withdrew a small data pad from her weapon belt.

"What?" Shepard turned around with an incredulous expression on his face.

"I managed to plant a bug on your friend before he left." She handed the device to him. "The bastard's not as clever as he thinks he is."

"Thank you, Miranda. This is just what we needed."

"Good news is difficult to come by these days."

He sighed. "You have no idea. Listen, Miranda, I'd like to ask a favor from you."

"From me?" Her face became a question mark.

"Yes. Since you don't need to run anymore, and well, I can't think of a safer place for the both of you…" he gestured to Oriana as well. "Could I ask you to stay with me, aboard the Normandy?"

Miranda's eyebrows raised incredulously, and she took a step backward. "Me, on an Alliance ship? Shepard, have you lost your mind?"

"And that's yet another reason why I call him 'Loco'," Vega rolled his eyes. "Are we done here, Commander?"

"Call Cortez for our extraction. I'll rendezvous with you in a moment," Shepard nodded. The Alliance soldiers saluted him and strolled back to the elevator. Once they were out of sight, he immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and smashed his lips to hers. She returned his passion eagerly, until she heard her sister vocalize her surprise with a multi-syllabled 'wow'.

"So how 'bout it now?" he whispered into her ear.

"I…I…don't…" She broke eye contact with him and gazed at the floor.

"I think I remember a promise you made to me a long time ago. It was something about me hitting the Illusive Man in the chest with the first bullet, and you nailing him immediately thereafter with a second. You haven't lost your nerve, now, have you, Miss Lawson?" He rubbed his finger lightly underneath her chin.

"Well, if it's okay with you, Ori," she gave a cautious sidelong glance to her sister, who grinned.

"Are you kidding? I've always wanted to see what a military warship looks like!" Oriana enthused. "Come on, 'Randa."

"All right, we'll come," Miranda agreed and intertwined her fingers with his as they made their way into the lift.

Oriana leaned closer to her sister as Shepard activated the buttons. "Wow, he's hot, 'Randa, much better looking in person than on the vids."

He bashfully looked away while Miranda's cheeks flushed.

Orbit of Horizon, Iera System

Normandy SR-2 Medical Bay, 2026h

"Well, both of you pass muster, without a doubt," Dr. Karin Chakwas declared as she scanned both Williams and Vega with her omni-tool. "There's hardly a scratch on either of you." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I know what that will mean."

The door opened and in walked both Lawson siblings as well as Shepard, who was nursing his left shoulder. "Well, as I live and breathe. Miranda Lawson, it is good to see you once again," the doctor gave her a large beam. Her eyes swept over the Aussie's body; she spotted blood on her catsuit. "What in heaven's name happened down there?"

"Have you ever read the book about the island of Dr. Moreau? Mix in the twist that he had two daughters," Shepard retorted and leaned against one of the beds.

"Doc, I've got some repairs to make down in the armory. Am I good to go?" Vega pointed with his thumb towards the door.

"And I've got some Spectre expense reports to file," Williams said.

"Yes, you're both fit for duty. The commander, however, and Miss Lawson," Chakwas shook her head, "will not be leaving anytime soon."

Both Alliance soldiers disappeared, casting suspicious glances towards Miranda on their way out. Chakwas wasted no time; she dragged a wheeled tray over to Miranda. "Please, Miss Lawson, make yourself comfortable." Miranda nodded and hoisted herself onto one of the beds closest to Chakwas' desk. "And you must be Miranda's sister. I beg your pardon, I've forgotten what your name is, since we haven't been introduced."

"Oriana." The younger Lawson's eyes studied Chakwas as she swept her omni-tool over her body. "I'm fine, really. I think I might just be in a bit of shock."

"Hmm, yes, well, your adrenaline levels are spiking. Your blood pressure and heart levels are quite high, but that's quite normal. You probably haven't seen your sister nor Shepard in a battle before, have you?"

"No, I haven't. My father was going to try and kill us…" She ran a shaky hand down her side.

"You're safe, Ori. No one would dare to touch you here," Miranda soothed.

"Your blood sugar levels are also low. When was the last time you ate?" Chakwas inquired.

"I…um…had some breakfast sometime this morning, I think," Oriana muttered. "The Reapers came soon after that."

"Well, I think it's best that you have something to eat now, even at this hour, if you want a good night of rest." Chakwas peered out the window. "Ah, I see that Lt. Commander Williams is in the mess now. Unfortunately, we're back to the old Normandy's menu of army rations since we're with the Alliance, but I'm sure that she could find you something to eat."

"Okay," Oriana nodded and gave one last look at Miranda, who gave her a reassuring smile with a nod of her own.

After she left, Dr. Chakwas settled upon a stool to inspect Miranda. "Now, let me see here." While she was distracted, Shepard straightened and made for the door. Her head snapped in his direction. "And just where do you think you're going, Commander?"

"I'm sure that Admiral Hackett is expecting a report from me. I'd better-"

"Freeze, soldier," Chakwas ordered. "I meant what I said earlier. When either of your two squad mates return from a mission without flesh wounds or burns, that means that you took the brunt of it. Ah-ha." She stared at the back of his weapon belt. "You're also out of medi-gel."

"Only because I used the last application on her," Shepard gestured with his head towards Miranda and passed his hand over the door's sensor. "Come on, Karin, I've got things to do."

"Wrong." The British physician disagreed and locked the door with her omni-tool. "Now sit down over there so that I can have a look at you when I'm done with her." "All right, two can play at this game," Shepard growled and crossed his arms. "EDI, override the lockdown in the medical bay."

"I must apologize, Commander, but I concur with Dr. Chakwas," EDI's voice boomed over the ship intercom's system. "You should be examined for further internal injuries; your left shoulder has been dislocated, and you were shot twelve times."

"Goddamnit, Shepard," Miranda rolled her eyes. "That's even more fire than you took while we were leaving the Collector base. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't…really," he shrugged and turned back around to obey Chakwas. "Besides, only a few of them actually penetrated my armor."

"Just a bit more antiseptic ointment here, now, and ah, yes," Chakwas stated as she fussed over Miranda's wound. "How are you feeling, Miss Lawson?"

"Fine." She motioned for Shepard to come closer and undid his left shoulder epaulet. "You, however, are a mess, as usual. I can see that that hasn't changed."

"I admit that biotically charging into that brute probably wasn't the best course of action," he chuckled and rolled his neck around. "I couldn't get to you fast enough after seeing that security footage of Kai Leng."

Chakwas arose from the stool and seized hold of his shoulder. "I've lost count of how many times I've had to do this to you now, Commander. Ready on one, two, and-"

With a loud crack, Shepard's shoulder went back into place. He howled in pain and sank onto the stool. "Commander, this is very counterproductive. You know what I'm going to ask next. And I'll also have to recruit some help if necessary," she made eye contact with Lawson.

"All right, all right," he raised up his left hand in surrender. "Everything?"

"Just from the waist up. It looks as though your lower half hasn't suffered much from this battle," she replied and walked across the room to open a few cupboards.

"We might have to test that theory later on in my quarters," Shepard smirked as he began to remove his armor. Miranda's eyes gave him a frosty glare.

"Well, at least she doesn't have to argue with you in order to remove your clothing," Chakwas retorted as she returned with a bottle of medi-gel and set it onto the tray. He unzipped his polymer-nano suit and carefully extracted himself from it. As she hunched over him to start smearing the gel onto his wounds, he squirmed as the cool gel made contact with his bare skin. "And my medical recommendation for tonight would be to play it safe with that shoulder, Commander, lest it slip out of place _again_. No weight on it until tomorrow morning."

"That's okay, she's usually on top anyhow," Shepard hung his head.

Miranda's eyes became even more inflamed. "You're walking on thin ice, Commander, if we continue this line of conversation."

"Apologies, Miss Lawson, just some friendly advice," Chakwas said. "He rarely follows it anyhow." As she slathered some more medi-gel onto Shepard's forearm, she noticed that he was staring at Miranda and halted her actions. "I think that I might be feeling a bit peckish. Would you mind taking over, Miranda?"

The Aussie gladly accepted the jar from her as the Brit unlocked the med bay door and wandered into the crew mess. "I wondered when she'd take the hint," Miranda remarked and continued where Chakwas had left off. "Stop fidgeting."

"It's cold and it stings like a bitch."

"Good, that means that it's working."

"I wish that we'd had more times like this during the Collector mission."

"I had reports of my own to write at the time, you know."

"Speaking of reports, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?" She moved onto his abdomen.

"When we went to Aite to stop Project Overlord, you came with me and Garrus. You were silent the whole mission, with the exception of the occasional 'look out' or 'they see you, Shepard'. You usually are chock full of opinions; why didn't you say anything? Or better yet, when you told the Illusive Man to piss off, I had no idea in sam hell that you'd do that."

"I could see that Dr. Archer meant well, and had he not forced his own autistic brother into the experiment, I would probably have condoned his actions."

"What? Why?"

"The overall idea of the project was brilliant. The cruel and unethical methods that Archer used were inexcusable." She hesitated her actions for a moment to think and made a motion with her finger for him to twirl the stool around. He obeyed her gesture as her eyes swept over his back. "The Illusive Man does demand results on his projects, but he would also understand why Archer would have needed extra time."

"But there was a log in Atlas station telling us otherwise. Don't you remember, I played it right before we went down into the V.I. core? It said that the Illusive Man was about to shut the project down; that's why Archer resorted to taking drastic measures."

"Yes, I have to admit that the Illusive Man has lost sight of what Cerberus is. Our…I mean…their doctrine was created with the intention of being humanity's barrier when the Alliance shield failed."

"It looks like you still have trouble separating yourself from them at times."

"I've spent more than half my life with Cerberus, like you've spent yours with the Alliance." She gently spread her fingers across one gash that ran along the back of his neck. It must have come from one of those brutes he rushed into. "I was heavily conflicted when we boarded the remnants of that derelict Reaper."

"And now? Are you having any regrets?"

"None." The fact that she answered him so quickly made him believe her. "It's another reason why I agreed to come with you."

"The Illusive Man sold your sister out to your father," Shepard realized.

"He did, and you know damn well what happens to the people who betray me."

"I do, and I won't stop you this time." He was referring to Niket's duplicity and remembered shoving the gun away from harm's way before she could fire it.

"Even if it means getting more intel from him?"

"I'm laying out the ground work for the Illusive Man's grave as we speak," he motioned to his head. "And I'll be dancing on top of it after we send the Reapers to hell."

"Good." Miranda closed up the medi-gel and set the jar onto Chakwas' desk. "In regards to Project Overlord, for what it's worth, Shepard, I would also have done the same thing you did, in the end, I mean."

"You mean you'd have sent David to Grissom Academy?"

"Yes."

His expression lightened. "That's a relief. I was hoping to avoid having an argument about that issue, because shortly before I saw you the second time on the Citadel, I ran into both of them."

"Is that so?"

"Mmm, yes. Archer was with Dr. Brynn Cole on Gellix, and David got off of Grissom Academy with the other students safely." Shepard turned around and arose. "I ran into Jacob on Gellix, as a matter of fact. He's seeing Dr. Cole, and apparently, they're going to have a kid together."

Miranda's cool exterior dropped as did her jaw. "Would you care to repeat that again?"

Shepard crossed his arms across his chest. "I think you heard me the first time. And although you two hated each other's guts, I bumped into Jack at Grissom Academy. She's been teaching there ever since I surrendered to the Alliance. Now they're prepping for supporting our marines on the front lines."

"So Jacob wants to settle down…about bloody time." She settled herself against the cupboards. "I'm glad that he finally found someone who accepts his protection."

"Did you know Dr. Cole?"

"I never met her, but the Illusive Man always spoke highly of her when we were delegating new tasks to cells. It's good that you got the lot of those scientists out from under his claws."

"They already left; I just helped them escape his hurricane wrath," Shepard shrugged and shuffled one of his armored boots onto the tiled floor. His eyes met hers as his mind's wheels began to turn. "So can you give me a clean bill of health since our illustrious physician seems to be busy?"

"Hmm…perhaps." A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. "I might need some assurance."

He closed the distance between them as he crossed the med bay over to her and slid his arms around her waist. "Need me to perform some experiments, Miss Lawson?"

"Take part in one, more likely." She threw her hands around the back of his neck.

He wasn't sure who really started their kiss nor did he care. He moaned into her as she took control of their mouths and suckled upon his lips. All he knew was that she wasn't close enough. Shepard squeezed her closer, and she broke away from him momentarily to gasp. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he breathed.

"Yes, but I'll be all right." Miranda ran her hands along his pectoral muscles and shoulders. He was firm but not oversized like Vega. That man was as large as a grizzly bear and likely would nearly crush any woman he slept with.

"Still admiring your handiwork?" Shepard teased but never gave her a chance to answer. He moved in again, seemingly hellbent upon making her sigh with pleasure. He rested one hand against the shelves and danced his fingers along her sides, just centimeters away from her breast. She moved one hand from its previous position and embraced his jaw. Her actions caused him to deepen the kiss and gently push his tongue past her lips. A hint of her biotics flared up, just enough to encourage him.

"Commander Shepard, sir?" The communications officer, Samantha Traynor's voice droned over the ship intercom.

He was quite reluctant to break their kiss, but Miranda gave him a gentle push to signal that she needed some space. He complied and glanced upward at the ceiling.

"Yes, Traynor?"

"Admiral Hackett is available on the vid com; he asks to speak with you immediately."

"I'll be there in just a moment." Shepard donned his protective suit, grimacing slightly as his sore shoulder reminded him that it needed rest. "I'll see you later. Feel free to look around as much as you'd like. Mi cassa su cassa."

She said nothing but nodded and watched him leave the infirmary.

Normandy SR-2 Vid Com Room, 2051h

Admiral Hackett's image appeared on the holo pad. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and Shepard took this moment to place his hands behind his back.

"Commander, I wasn't pleased to hear about your deviation to Horizon," Hackett stated. "There were too many variables about that facility."

"The sins being committed there could not be ignored, Admiral, sir," Shepard answered and stiffened even further. "I can't tell you how savage and callous Henry Lawson's experiments were. The worst part of it was listening to how he thought that he was saving the human race. He was trying to justify it all."

"Indeed. The truth is out, and the Alliance will make sure that everyone knows about the lie." He hesitated for a second before continuing on. "And I understand that you've procured a new crew member. Or perhaps she's not new to the Normandy, but rather…to the Alliance's cause?"

"Miranda Lawson agreed to come with us in order to stop the Illusive Man, sir. Being the former second-in-command of Cerberus gives us a significant advantage to infiltrating the Illusive Man's base."

"So it may," Hackett nodded and turned his head to glance at the conversation's newest participant, which was Anderson. "But how much do you trust her?"

"With my life, sir."

"Are you absolutely positive about her loyalty, Shepard?" Anderson inquired.

"I'm certain of it, yes."

"Commander, this is the first time I've ever said this to you, but I don't like this at all," Hackett commented and shook his head. "This next attack is vital to the success of making the Crucible functional, and Ms. Lawson could compromise you."

"Then why would the Illusive Man send dozens of assassins after her?"

"Your report mentions only one, Shepard," Anderson said while scratching his cheek. "It also mentions the fact that Ms. Lawson planted a bug on him."

"Yes, sir, that's true. We know exactly where Cerberus' main headquarters are, thanks to her," Shepard nodded.

"Hmm, well, I've read over Ms. Lawson's dossier, Commander, and although we are nearly finished with the Crucible, we could still use more technical expertise once we receive the Catalyst from Cerberus," Hackett admitted. "She'd be in good hands here."

"I've also had a look at it, Admiral, and it says that Lawson's a hell of a powerful biotic," Anderson interjected. "We could use her as part of the 'hammer' forces on the ground here."

Shepard held up his hands. "Why don't I ask her after we've completed our hit on Cerberus?"

"Because once we start our assault on Cerberus, it's likely that the Reapers will be alerted to the Crucible's presence. And then, we'll only be able to protect it for so long," Hackett replied. "So she would need to come as soon as humanly possible."

"Things aren't getting much better down here on Earth, either," Anderson announced.

"I know that this is a huge step of faith for the both of you, sirs, but as a favor to me, I would request that Ms. Lawson remain aboard the Normandy for now."

Both admirals eyed one another warily and then made eye contact with Shepard.

"Please," the marine emphasized.

The moments that passed as the admirals thought over his plea seemed to tick by like several days. He felt more nervous now than he did when Sovereign first spoke with him on Virmire.

"I owe you one for Kahlee," Anderson nodded.

"And I also owe you one for Dr. Kenson," Hackett agreed. "It's never been a habit of mine to micromanage my commanding officers. I trust that you all know precisely what you're doing, which is why I gave you the authority in the first place. We'll play it your way for now, Commander."

"I promise that I will ask her after our assault, Admirals," Shepard saluted them. "And thank you."

"Keep up the good work," Anderson returned the salute and disconnected his side of the call.

"You've done a helluva lot of good so far, Shepard. I've got no reason to disbelieve that you'll get it done," Hackett remarked. "Hackett out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Normandy SR-2 War Room, 2057h

Shepard journeyed down the steps into the center of the room to bring up a graphical interface of all the resources and armies he'd gathered so far. The war terminal simply listed them all as war assets, but to Shepard, they were much more. The list represented sacrifice, sweat, and blood. It was hardly perfect or as complete as he'd hoped, and the equation suggested that his chances against the Reapers were even.

He closed out the holo-screen after looking one last time at the Crucible's progress and made his way to the CIC. The two sentries there muttered quietly between themselves and saluted him as he walked by them through the scanner. As he passed through the next door, he was pleasantly surprised to see Miranda leaning against the wall. "I see they've completely remodeled the aft section of this deck," she commented. "And they installed two Alliance flunkies at nearly ever single door."

"They wouldn't let you in? I thought that I-"

"Honestly, Shepard, I don't care what's back there." She rolled her eyes and straightened up. "Besides, I've been having a chat with your communications officer."

"Oh? What have you two been talking about?" He closed the distance in between the two women.

"Strategy games, encryption codes, this and that," Samantha Traynor announced as she worked at her console. "Your name might have come into the conversation once or twice." She gave him a smirk.

"Miranda's probably a mean chess player, too. I think you may have found yourself a worthy opponent, Traynor."

"We'll have to sit down and have a game. I already pounded the Commander here into submission."

Miranda's eyebrows arched upward, and Shepard raised his arms up in protest. "It was an innocent game, I swear."

"I heard that it was through your hard work that the Normandy was able to track Kai Leng to Horizon in the first place. Well done," the Aussie remarked. "Shepard's fortunate to have you on his team."

"We were all appalled to hear about what happened down there. But I'm glad that you and your sister were able to get out of there safely," Traynor said.

"We had some help." She glanced in Shepard's direction and journeyed towards the elevator. "They didn't change the location of your cabin nor shrink its size at least. Perhaps the Alliance is slipping up."

Shepard hit the call button. "You didn't see what they did to the port side observation room? They've relaxed a lot, let me tell you." They filed inside the elevator, and Miranda pressed the '1' on the touch screen. "What'd you think of what Liara's done with your old office?"

"It needs some tidying; cables shouldn't be lying about everywhere ready for someone to trip over them. But then that seems to be the norm all _over_ the ship now, thanks to the retrofit. I had a short talk with Liara; I was quite impressed with how she dealt with Cerberus in her escape."

"Did you hear about Thessia?"

"Yes. I expressed my condolences to her. Is that where she grew up?"

He nodded and passed his hand over the sensor to open the door to his cabin. When it did, they both entered, and Shepard began to strip off his armor. "It's another reason why the Illusive Man and Kai Leng both have an appointment with the muzzle of my shotgun."

"I only heard bits and pieces of information, but mostly that all communication has been severed to the planet as well as any public travel through the Artemis mass relay. What happened, Shepard?"

"The Reapers were there in full force, and several Asari teams held their own, clearing a path to a temple where an artifact was. It was supposed to be able to help us locate the missing part of the Crucible: the Catalyst."

"Was it there?"

"Yes. This artifact was…" he pulled off his boots, "a Prothean beacon with a Prothean V.I. It was hidden in plain sight just beneath one of their goddess statues. Nobody knew about it except only top leveled government officials."

"Shepard, does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes, and unfortunately before I could get any more information from the V.I., Leng swooped in with a goddamned gun ship and stole it!" Shepard banged his fist onto his desk, and Miranda ran a hand over his shoulder. "All those soldiers died for nothing! I couldn't re-establish contact with any of the teams because of the interference. All I could hear over the fucking radio was their screams!"

"I know you feel awful about this all, but it wasn't your fault. The Asari could have jumped into the fight sooner, they could have-"

"Shared all of the technology they inherited from the Protheans? I know that that's what you were going to say next, but it doesn't change my failure on Thessia. And it won't stop the blood that's currently soaking their streets or the bombs that are ripping through all of their once magnificent architecture."

Miranda listened to his tirade and trailed her hand over his back. "Living among the Asari on Illium was certainly illuminating. That's why I'm not entirely surprised about their actions. Think about it, though, Shepard. Would humanity share technology like that any faster if we'd been the ones to find or guard it?"

"I'd like to think so, yes." He paused and leaned into her touch. "But I know better."

"And by all means, I am _not_ condoning their actions, Shepard. It makes me angrier than hell to hear all this. I'm just telling you that it doesn't surprise me one little bit." Shepard lowered his head shamefully and let out a sigh. "Well, enough pessimism for one night," Miranda continued and made her way down the steps to the couch.

"This day's been exceptionally too long."

"I meant to tell you something else, Shepard."

"And that would be what?" He typed his password onto his terminal and began to read over his messages.

"Seeing EDI in a body was…amusing."

"Joker's mood has vastly improved ever since that happened."

"Yes, and your assistance with our relationship continues to be greatly appreciated, Shepard," EDI's graphical interface reappeared by the entrance to his cabin. "I promise not to interrupt you and Ms. Lawson for the rest of the evening, but since you have been so kind to help me, I would like to return the favor."

"How's that?"

"I have noticed that your inbox has a priority N7 message from Admiral Hackett on it concerning a mission on the planet Ontarom. It is an Alliance communication center that Cerberus has usurped. Do you plan to infiltrate the base in the morning?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes."

"Perhaps it would be best if Ms. Lawson were able to provide you tactical support either via your goggles of choice or your breather helmet. This choice is of course, your preference. I have found some software that can optimally partition our radio communications matrix from Devlon Industries. In other words, she will be able to talk with you on a separate channel while you maintain contact with the Normandy and your fellow squad members at the same time. I can send it to Ms. Lawson's omni-tool so that she may interface it with your equipment as necessary."

"I'd actually rather physically have her there for the mission," Shepard shook his head 'no'. "But thank you just the same, EDI."

"I can't, Shepard. I'm not fully fit for duty yet," Miranda reminded him. "Your offer, EDI, is extremely magnanimous, thank you. Please upload it whenever you can."

"Done. Your omni-tool will notify you when the download is complete," the AI informed her. "Again, I apologize for the disruption of your-oops."

"What is it now, EDI?" Shepard rolled his eyes and began to change into his Alliance casual wear minus his bulletproof vest.

"Nothing that demands your direct attention, Shepard."

"Okay, when you say something like that, it worries me. The last time you did that, the Normandy's power and com systems went haywire."

"Do not worry yourself, Shepard, but there may be a few times tonight when the Normandy's artificial gravity might…fluctuate."

"Dare I ask why?" Miranda suddenly broke in.

"Will these be dangerous levels?"

"No. I have already informed Engineer Adams and his team about it as well as Ms. Traynor," EDI responded.

"And does Joker know about it?"

"Not yet."

Shepard pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "All right. Good night, EDI, that'll be all." The blue matrix interface disappeared from sight.

"She still values your privacy, I see," Miranda noted.

He made his way down the stairs to sit on the foot of his bed. "The interruptions haven't been as frequent ever since I played matchmaker. It's paid off, I'd say."

Miranda's omni-tool chirped, and she activated it to read over the data packages. "Hmm…that should be relatively easy to do. The installation will probably take me about an hour or so. Now, will you be taking a pair of your combat goggles or your helmet with you tomorrow?"

"Well, according to the intel that I received from Hackett, the base is above ground and has lots of tight corners as well as a few good sniper perches. I should probably take my helmet, just to be extra safe."

"Right." She got up from the couch and seized his helmet from his desk. "I'll be back in a little while. The armory's down in the shuttle bay now, isn't it?"

He nodded and headed for the elevator. "I'll come with you."

"Shepard, you don't need to accompany me everywhere on this ship as if everyone is going to molest me."

"And what if _I _want to be the one doing it?" he quipped and gave her a rogue smile.

"You ass," she laughed and followed him into the elevator.

About thirty seconds later, after a cursory introduction to the shuttle pilot Steve Cortez, Miranda activated a light over the weapon bench and went straight to work. Shepard distracted himself by purchasing a few new weapon upgrades at the nearby terminal and then made his way over to James Vega. He was back to his conditioning exercises, namely pull-ups as Shepard approached him. "Hey, Loco. We're getting pretty close to kicking Cerberus in the cajones, no?" Vega inquired.

"Yep, and I could use you tomorrow morning on a mission where we'll be doing just that on Ontarom," Shepard returned.

"You got it, Commander." He released his grip from the bar and got down onto his hands and toes for some push-ups. "Hey, what's up with Legs and your helmet?"

Shepard's eyes narrowed and crossed his arms. "I take it that that's your nickname for Miranda."

"That's the one I'll use in front of you, yeah. Those aren't the only parts of her body that are distracting. What's she doing to your gear?"

"She's very versatile. You know that she headed the team that rebuilt me?"

"It's all the more reason why I'm asking what she's doing to your equipment, Loco." He quickened his pace.

"I know that trust is a thing to be earned, not given. That's why I'm not going to ask you to trust her, but rather me. I'm sure that that'll be easier," Shepard answered.

"Is she coming with the two of us tomorrow morning?"

"Garrus will be accompanying us; I'll tell him during breakfast. He usually does his calibrations in the evening, anyhow."

"Hey Loco, since you got Joker and EDI together, are you planning on doing the same thing with Sparks and Scars?"

"Neither of them hardly need encouragement. They've been at one another's throats since our early days with Saren, back when Tali was just a kid on her pilgrimage. I figure it'll only be a matter of time before Tali lets her 'sparks' intermingle with Garrus' 'scars'," Shepard chuckled. Vega joined his chorus.

"Hey, how 'bout you and me in a game of poker one of these days?"

"Hmm…we all did just get paid two days ago. You really wanna blow it all away just like that, huh?"

"Game on, Loco." He got up and shook Shepard's hand. "But _you're_ the one who's gonna be filling up my pockets."

"Careful what you wish for," Miranda's voice suddenly chided him from opposite side of the hangar bay.

"I'd better get back to my duties, Commander."

Shepard traveled back over to Miranda and pulled up a stool behind her. He boldly slipped her hair back from her neck and planted his lips at the base of it. She made a disgusted groan and brightened the overhead lamp. "Why does the Alliance make its ships' ambient light so damned dark? I feel like I'm working in a bloody mausoleum. Should I drop something small on the floor, I doubt that I'd be able to find it again."

"Yeah, I wasn't too crazy about that part of the retrofit," he said in between kisses and slid his other hand around her waist.

"Shepard, you're making a shadow; I can't see what I'm doing."

He pulled away to scoot himself beside her but returned to his previous actions. "Is that better?"

"I suppose, but that might mean that this will take twice as long to complete, since you're becoming a diversion."

"Call it an opening act for the real headlining entertainment to come later on." The hand that had gone around her waist meandered upward to graze her breast.

"Aw, get a room, you two," James sneered as he walked into the lift.

She gasped, and the screw driver that she'd been fiddling with inside of his helmet now dropped completely out of her hands. "Damnit, Shepard!"

He let out a low chuckle and wrapped his arm around her other side. "Ah, so you _can_ still get angry."

She flipped the helmet right side up and shook it so that the precision tool fell out onto the work bench. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm letting you get away with this."

"I do," Shepard whispered into her right ear and pushed some of her sepia tresses behind it. "Crimony, for six long months, I craved for just two minutes with you. All I could do was pray that nothing had become of you."

"I couldn't make promises to you before Sanctuary, but I can now. I'm not going anywhere," she returned softly as she continued her work.

This enticed him to envelop the lower flap of her earlobe with his lips and charge up his implants ever so slightly.

"Oh, God," she mumbled nearly indistinctly and leaned into him. "Please, Shepard, just let me finish installing this PC board in here so that I can start to…upload the…"

The tip of his tongue darted out between his lips as quickly as a snake's. She shivered, which made him squeeze her possessively closer to his body. "Damn you."

Miranda put the final machine screw in and passed her omni-tool over the helmet. As the omni-tool glowed to begin the program's installation, his lips moved down to the flesh just beneath her ear to the back of her jaw. That did it; all of her self-restraint was gone. She activated her own biotics, covered her hands with his own, and he spun her around so that their lips could finally synchronize. Their melding was not gentle nor was their breathing.

Much to his surprise, she was the one who thrust her tongue into his mouth first. Her attack came on so suddenly and so fierce that when she broke away to catch a breath, some saliva escaped from their kiss. "Christ, I've never slobbered onto someone before," she mused and wiped it away from her mouth.

"Don't let that stop you from doing it in the future, it's hot," he breathed and licked his lips. He was about to return her kiss, when she turned her head away. "What's the matter?"

"We shouldn't…not tonight. Neither of us is at 100%."

"That doesn't matter to me. Having you here with me on the Normandy is enough."

"But it does to me. I can't-" Her omni-tool interrupted her with a beep, and she withdrew herself from his arms. "Done." Miranda peered inside of the helmet for any visible flaws and slipped it onto his head. "How does that feel? Any discomfort?"

"No. Is there a switch that I have to flick on or something?"

"It's on your right side, just below your normal earpiece." She took his hand in hers and directed it on top of the toggle. "Do you feel it here?"

"Yes." He removed his helmet, set it onto the table, and snagged her hand before she could fully retrieve it. "Will you stay with me tonight, please?"

"I told you, Shepard," she shook her head 'no'. He ran her hand onto his clean shaven cheek and kissed her palm.

"And I told _you_ that I don't want you in my bed for that reason tonight. I won't accept the fact that you don't need me, either." Miranda's expression warmed, and she followed him hand in hand with a silent nod into the elevator


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Orbit of Ontarom, Kepler Verge System

Kodiak Shuttle, 826h

Cortez smoothly guided the vehicle out of the Normandy's hangar door and ventured towards the planet surface. "Admiral Hackett's standing by on the com system, Commander," he announced.

Shepard finished programming his weapons to incendiary ammunition and holstered them. "Put him through, Steve."

"Yes, sir."

"Commander, this Alliance communications facility came under attack yesterday by Cerberus troops. They're effectively blocking all our transmissions coming in and out of the dish arrays here. It looks like they've killed all personnel here with the exception of one operative, a Ms. Grace Sato. She's fortified herself in the security bunker, but we don't know how long it'll be until they reach her," Hackett stated. "Patching her through."

The vid screen cut to a live com channel showing a young woman with raven hair, who was obviously terrified for her life. "Please hurry, Commander. It won't be long until they reach me. They're hacking the security measures and destroying the turrets that I've activated outside the bunker."

"Stay strong, Ms. Sato. We're coming to get you outta there shortly."

"Okay, Commander."

Hackett's face reappeared on the com channel. "Re-taking this base is imperative to not only our ops in the Attican Traverse, Commander, but also for our allies'. We'll lose a lot of people if this base stays in enemy hands any longer. Get it done."

"Will do, sir," Shepard declared with a salute as the vid channel went to black.

"Any special orders, Commander?" James stood from his seat and held onto the shuttle's ceiling.

Shepard put his breather helmet on and turned to his colleague. "No mercy," was all he said with a nod of his head. "We leave no one alive except Ms. Sato."

"Hey, you don't have to give _that_ order twice," Vega grinned.

"Garrus, I'd appreciate your marksmanship with Janine. Get to some high ground ASAP and take out as many of those nemesis bitches as you can. James and I will worry about the ground forces."

"Yes, Shepard." The turian removed his sniper rifle from his gun rack and gave a short chuckle. "It's Thelma, actually. Janine's the assault rifle, and Betty's the pistol."

"Turians name their guns, too, eh?" Vega's head turned.

"Not to my knowledge. Maybe I've spent too much time with Alliance personnel. Nobody in C-Sec did, either. Chellick would just give me this long hard stare and then go back to some desk work."

"Approaching the drop point, Commander," Cortez stated. As the shuttle neared the west corner of the base, Shepard removed his shotgun from his back, as did Vega. Ten seconds later, all three men dropped from the shuttle as their pilot retreated to a safe distance. Shepard ordered James and Garrus to his right flank and activated the switch on his helmet to talk to Miranda.

"Miranda, can you hear me?" he inquired.

"Ah, I was wondering when you were going to check in, Shepard," she responded. "I see you've made it ground side already with your teammates. Garrus is traveling up to a high point to pick off some snipers."

"All part of the brilliant strategy up here," Shepard pointed to his head and caught an assault trooper in a biotic field, pulling him closer to an impending shotgun blast.

"Woohoo, take that you son of a bitch!" Vega yelled and beat Shepard to the punch.

"Shepard, there's a centurion making his way towards you at eleven o'clock!" Miranda exclaimed. "He's trying to outflank you. Ten o'clock now!"

"Right." Shepard hit the switch on his helmet. "James, move over to your right and cover me." He charged up his biotics and rammed himself with all of his might into the centurion. Milliseconds later, he blasted through the guard's body armor with two incendiary rounds.

"Cover Vega! He's about to get surprised from behind!" Miranda told him.

Shepard fired another two rounds into the trooper and advanced to the lower ground. He motioned for James to follow him. "Garrus, how're you doing up there? Need any help?"

"I'm fine, Shepard. Two snipers are now history, and I'm almost at a sweet spot. Just need to take one more out," the turian replied. "Can you see me?"

"Only the corner of your helmet, I think. That sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Shepard, get down! You're in the crosshairs of a sniper!" Miranda hissed.

The bullet thankfully missed Shepard by a few inches; he ducked just in time and activated his mic again. "Thanks, Miranda. This isn't just some software; there's a camera in this helmet, isn't there?"

"Of course. Get moving to that terminal, Shepard. Garrus just took out that last sniper and can lay down some cover fire for you if necessary."

"Any more surprises ahead of me?"

"None that I can see, but I do have some blind spots. Just be cautious."

"All right, here I go." He hit the switch again on his helmet. "James, I'm gonna head up the ramp for that terminal and start to decrypt it. Watch my back. Garrus, just keep doing what you do best."

"You got it," Garrus answered. "I don't see anything for now, but that can change in two seconds or less."

Shepard straightened and sprinted towards the computer. He touched his omni-tool to the screen to start the decryption. Five seconds after it started, he heard Garrus' rifle go off. "Shepard! Engineers are here setting up turrets! I'm trying to take out as many as I can!"

"Vega, take 'em out!" Shepard ordered, and the Alliance soldier obeyed. He tossed out a couple of frag grenades towards one turret and sent a death blow through his shotgun to the engineer's lightly armored body. "All right, first code is done. Ms. Sato, where're the coordinates for the next terminal?"

"Here's the next nav point, Commander," the technician responded. "Please hurry."

"Looks like it's a straight shot a bit north from here," Vega commented. "Loco, do you wanna move forward?"

"Garrus, have you got an LOS on any targets?" Shepard asked.

"Negative, looks clear from here for now," the turian answered him.

"All right, here we go." The two Alliance soldiers advanced about five yards but not too much further.

"2 Centurions at 11 and 1 o'clock, Shepard!" Miranda's voice suddenly cut through the channel.

"Vega, you got my back?" Shepard inquired and halted behind a stack of storage containers. His colleague turned and blasted a random assault trooper that had tried to sneak up on him.

"What?"

Shepard's head snapped back towards Vega's gunfire and then back just in time to see the centurions deploy two smoke bombs. "Oh, fuck me. Garrus!"

"Go, Shepard!" the turian replied and activated the specialized scope that let him see through the dark obscuring cloud.

With a mighty bellow, Shepard charged his way through the smoke and hit the first one at one o'clock. He then sent a round through the man's body and rolled back so that the one at eleven o'clock couldn't hit him. Garrus lined up his shot perfectly and sent a high velocity round through the second centurion's helmet. "He's down, Shepard, but he's gonna have some life left in him. I only took down his shields!"

Shepard blindly charged forward again and this time, sent a wave of biotic energy throughout his fists into the centurion's skull. "Shepard, I swear, you've gone mad. What the hell is wrong with you?" Miranda scolded him.

He panted, took cover, re-loaded his shotgun, and flipped his mic's toggle on. "I had backup, I was just fine. Stop worrying so much."

"This isn't the first time you've done something reckless," she sighed.

"Ah, name a time and a place when that's happened." He leaned to his right and sent a round into an engineer who was about to place a turret behind James.

"Where to begin…" she murmured to herself. "Well, there _was_ that one time when you head butted a krogan on Tuchanka."

"It's called embracing the krogan culture, Miranda. I wanted to impress the male shaman of Clan Urdnot and make a point to that idiot leader of Gatatog. Words weren't going to have the same impact." Shepard sent another biotic field towards an assault trooper, launching him into the air.

"Yeah-ha ha, that one's about to go outta the ballpark. Nice one, Loco," James complimented him and sent the helpless soldier's body to his grave via shotgun.

"Besides, the Lazarus project gave me some upgrades, didn't it? Why shouldn't I take advantage of them?"

Miranda bristled at his cavalier attitude. "Only _some_ of you includes cybernetic technology, Shepard. Your head is still the same as it was before you died. I do have to wonder if you were just as stubborn before that, though."

"Probably, but I've got someone to fight for now, a reason to do this." Shepard switched his mic back to the other channel. "Vakarian, how're the ledges treating ya? I'm about to make it to the next console here."

"Taking some fire from some troops up here. Will let you know when I'm free," Garrus breathed.

"You're good, Commander. I've got your six," Vega said and switched to his assault rifle. "Hey, I really like this argus rifle, sir. Good choice. It packs a helluva recoil if you're not careful, but I've gotten used to it."

"Glad to hear it." Shepard straightened and journeyed towards the computer. "Okay, it looks like the codes are decrypting."

"Hey, Scars, do you need a hand up there?"

"I'm fine. Watch out for Shepard. Apparently, he's got a bit of a death wish today," Garrus remarked. "Even more so than on Tuchanka."

"You know that you loved running between that destroyer's legs, Garrus," Shepard laughed. "Liara was the one who was panicking."

"You did what?" James asked. "Scars only said that you all got shot at by the Reaper. He didn't say that you were doing that, too."

"Hmm…this one's taking a while to decode. James, see if you can pick off anyone giving Garrus a hard time up there."

"My pleasure, Loco." Vega turned his attention to the higher part of the complex. Shepard took this moment to flip on his mic again. "Hey, Miranda, are you still there?"

"I'm concerned that I'm going to distract you," she replied.

"Not a chance. I've missed hearing what you've got to say during a fight, actually. Garrus has quit making his smart-ass comments every time he nails someone right between the eyes. And James, well…he never stops talking. It's distracting to me wondering when the lieutenant will ever shut up." He glanced at his omni-tool as it continued its work. "Come on, Miranda, say something sexy."

"Like what?"

"Oh, no. I've got no wish to start digging up my own grave."

"Right. Your actions have done no such thing today," she lamented with a sigh.

"A little feminine encouragement never hurts me to finish the mission more quickly or better without a scratch. Or maybe you could tell me what you plan to do with me after we get back…"

"Or what I'm going to do _to_ you for being so damned irresponsible today."

"Hmm, yeah, Miranda, just like that," his voice deepened. "Tell me how much of a bad boy I've been."

"For God's sake, Shepard…"

"Yeah, keep it up. It's getting hotter in my armor now."

There was a pause on the channel as she considered her decision. "I'm a woman of very few words but lots of action."

"What kind of action?"

"From this angle, I can't tell if that's your gun that you're holding or not, Commander. Care to enlighten me?"

"Commander, why am I hearing another woman's voice on our radio?" Vega's voice interrupted the both of them. "That doesn't sound like the scientist we're supposed to rescue."

"Shit," Shepard mumbled and checked the omni-tool. Thankfully, the download had just finished. "Grace, are you there?"

The radio channel was silent. "Grace?" he called again.

"She's probably afraid to talk. They've gotta be close," Garrus told them.

"Shepard, I'm getting some crosstalk on my end here," Miranda announced. "I don't want to cause any more confusion, so I'm going silent."

"Too late," James groaned. "Who _is_ that?"

"That would be Miranda. Shepard, what the hell is going on?" the Turian demanded and took yet another perfect shot to a trooper on the ground.

"Grace, I know you're scared. We're almost done, but we can't get to you until you give us this last set of coordinates," Shepard urged her. "Please."

"Hurry, Commander, please!" the woman whispered. "They're right outside the door!"

"Commander, I think I can make a run for her in the bunker," Cortez broke in. "I'll be back for extraction before you know it."

"Do it, Lieutenant," Shepard ordered.

"Damn!" Garrus yelled at the top of his lungs and fired his rifle. "I just got swarmed by a bunch of centurions up here. Guess this is where the final set of coordinates are."

"On our way to you, Garrus." Shepard wordlessly pointed to the ledge and the ladder that led up to it. Vega instantly made a dash for it, while Shepard leapt from one spot of cover to another to head up the ramp from the other direction.

Unfortunately, Shepard didn't stay in cover long enough in one spot. It only took half a second for the nemesis to scope him out and fire a few rounds. He grunted in pain as he felt one bullet come into contact with his flesh on his right side. The others, thankfully, only nicked his armor plating. _Damnit, I knew I should have bought that breast plate from Rosenkov. Kassa always has weak spots in their cod pieces!_

"I'm at the top coming to ya on the bridge, Scars," James said in between labored breaths.

"You just _love_ playing the hero, don't you?" Garrus shot back. "Well, big surprise, Vega, this is no fairy tale, you're no prince, and you don't get a kiss for coming to my rescue!"

"Stay focused, people," Shepard snapped. "Keep radio silence until I hear that Cortez has picked up Sato." He sprinted up the ramp and surprised two more lightly armored soldiers. _Come on, just a little further, soldier. _He swallowed some more pain, activated his medi-gel application, and hung back behind a post to avoid the fire of a turret that an engineer just placed.

As he heard the sound of the shields being destroyed, Shepard swiveled his body around and fired two more shots into the turret. The machinery broke into thousands of pieces, but not before a frag grenade came soaring past it at him. "Damnit!" Shepard exclaimed and scurried for cover at the next support. Some shrapnel from the turret's ruin blew into the already open wound that the medi-gel had just sealed. _Where is that son of a bitch?_

He took a quick look around the corner and narrowly avoided the blast of a centurion's powerful assault rifle. _Aha, there you are_.

Just before the centurion could launch another projectile at him, Shepard gathered all of his strength and sent himself on his last massive biotic charge of the mission. His armored body clashed with the enemy, and then he leapt onto his toes with his right fist to bash his fist into the man's chest with a blue field of energy.

He rose from the ground over his conquered foe and sent an extra round into his head, effectively maiming the soldier's face. "Commander, I've got Ms. Sato. She's safe, and we're headed back to you," the shuttle pilot informed him over the radio. "ETA is about one minute."

"Good work, Cortez," Shepard said with some heavy breathing. As his colleagues joined him, he holstered his shotgun, and commenced his final task with his omni-tool.

"Hey, Loco, I picked up some ciphers from one of the engineers," Vega proudly stated with a point of his thumb behind himself. "Think the Alliance could use these?"

"I'll upload them with my report to Hackett. Good work." He grabbed his side reflexively as he felt some more pain stab through him. "How much longer, EDI?"

"It will not be necessary for me to break these codes at the moment, Shepard, since Ms. Sato is now safe. The data upload is at eighty-five percent," the AI responded.

"Is there any chance that you could speed it up, please?"

"Another application of medi-gel would likely lessen your discomfort, Shepard."

"No shit, Sherlock. I'm out."

Garrus approached his friend with his omni-tool readied. "Where are you wounded, Shepard?"

"Probably the part that I'm holding."

The turian shook his head, swatted Shepard's hand away, and passed it over his body. "That's another round you owe me, old friend."

"The data upload is complete, Shepard," EDI told him. "You may now depart from the facilities."

"Beautiful," Shepard muttered and stiffened as the medi-gel's anesthetic finally took effect. "Let's get the hell outta here.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Normandy SR-2 Medical Bay, 1049h

After they dropped the technician off at another Alliance base, Garrus and James traveled up to the crew deck for their usual check up. Shepard went straight to the vid com room to make his mission debriefing to Hackett. Chakwas tended to Vega's left arm first, which only had a minor flesh wound. "EDI informed me of the Commander's injuries, Lieutenant. Where is he?" she demanded.

"You know him, Chakwas. He'll be either checking the war room feeds or making another report to Hackett," Garrus shrugged as he removed his helmet. "I'm only here to appease you-I managed to get away scott free today."

"Bravo, Garrus. You shall receive a gold star for your thoughtfulness today. Someone, else, however, may be at the end of a rope."

"Thanks, Doc. I didn't even feel that bullet," James remarked and watched her wrap his enormous bicep with gauze.

The door opened, and in walked Miranda with Shepard. "Aw, come on, Miranda, gimme a break," he began.

"No, don't even start to make any excuses with me, Shepard. Neglecting to refill your entire medi-gel supply before a mission was damned foolish," Miranda scolded him.

"Garrus, you may go. I trust you when you say that you haven't been hurt," Chakwas commanded him. "And Lieutenant, you as well. If it weren't for Miss Lawson, here, I'd instruct you to knock some sense into our commander."

Vega beamed, retrieved a gauntlet from the bed, and jabbed Shepard in the arm. "Two angry chiquitas against one N7 won't be a problem for you, now will it, Loco?" He ventured towards the door.

"If I'm supposed to be training you for the program, are you sure that you don't wanna stay for a class or two?" Shepard smirked.

"Mmm, if there's one thing that my mama nailed into me before the Lord took her home is how to respect a woman. You, sir, well, you seem to be in a bit of a cluster fuck. I'd rather not stay for the shit storm." Vega gave Miranda another weary eye on his way out. "Especially from this one-she looks like she's 'bout to explode like a block of C4."

"I'll be sure to swing by the hangar bay for some more advice on women before I go up to my quarters tonight, hot shot." The Latino's laughter filled the hallway as the med bay's doors closed.

Chakwas finished loading up the wheeled cart full of instruments and bottles. "All right, Commander, this time I am going to insist upon Miranda's intervention. Miss Lawson, if you would be so kind?"

"Gladly," the Aussie returned coolly and proceeded strip off Shepard's armor.

"Whoa." Shepard froze in place. "Just how far are you planning to go there? Can't I at least squeeze in dinner and a few drinks first?"

"If you're embarrassed to do this in front of me, Shepard, then next time, prepare yourself accordingly before your missions," Chakwas reprimanded him and set her hands underneath the hand sanitizer.

"I don't mind stripping in front of you, Doctor, but I'm not the one who's doing it. _That's_ what's a bit embarrassing."

"I don't see any damage below the knees, Chakwas. Would you still like to make an examination?" Miranda inquired as she continued her task.

"I'll have the scanner do it, but it couldn't hurt to check the commander's armor, since he likely did not do that this morning before he left either," the physician replied noncommittally.

Shepard deflected Miranda's hands away after the chest plate, shoulder pads, and gauntlets were off. "At least let me do one thing by myself," he pleaded.

She bent down, picked up the scattered armor that lay about on the floor, and began to place each piece upon the bed closest to the shelves to study them. He shrugged himself out of the polymer nano-suit once again as Chakwas approached him. "Let's see here. Good. It looks like you used your medi-gel twice. What happened, Commander, did the first application not work?"

"No, it did. But before the wound could close up, some shrapnel scraped me."

"I'll be back in a bit, Shepard. These need to go down to the armory for some repairs," Miranda informed him as she confiscated the top half of his armor minus the helmet and traveled out of the med bay.

"Hmm, this might need some stitches. Let's get started, shall we, Shepard?" Chakwas said as she brought the body scanner to life with her omni-tool.

One hour later, just outside the Normandy Med Bay…

Shepard didn't even bother to put his clothes fully back on, even though it was lunch time and the mess was completely full. More than a few female pairs of eyes swept over his Greek anatomy and aesthetically pleasing profile as he passed through the hallway to get to the elevator. He carried his helmet at his side and was pleased to see Miranda in the lift as it came up. "Ah, I wondered when I'd see you again," he gave her a boyish grin. "I knew you couldn't stay pissed at me for too long."

"I owe you an apology for earlier." She took him by the hand and stepped back inside. "On the mission, I mean."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to go silent on you, but I had no choice."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Miranda. We had some interference, and you didn't want to cause confusion."

"If only I'd been able to talk to you for another thirty seconds, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Her eyes left his and gazed upon the freshly stitched and bandaged wound in his side.

"That's a load of horse crap. I'd have probably done something just as stupid or ignored at least one piece of advice."

"Seriously, Shepard, what has gotten into you? I can't remember you acting like this during the Collector mission." After the elevator reached the top floor, his hands let the helmet drop to the floor outside his quarters and lunged for her. He effectively slammed both of their bodies into the wall and started an open mouthed kiss.

Her lips parted reflexively as he eagerly tasted them. Time suddenly stopped, and there was nothing else that he wanted to feel. He released his grip on her, balanced his hands against the wall on either side of her, and deepened the kiss. Her hands came about the back of his head. One rested upon his neck and the other stroked his hair.

Miranda's caresses only inspired him to further ambition; Shepard proved this by roughly thrusting his tongue into her. She moaned in complete ecstasy as it teased the top half of her teeth, and she returned his fervor by meeting it with her own. His breathing became frantic and rushed as endorphins flooded his brain.

Old memories of kissing Liara suddenly came back to him. She was far too subservient, like she wanted to please him; she let him have complete control. It's possible that she wasn't sure of herself, either; she did admit that Shepard was her first.

But he _never_ knew what Miranda would do. There were a few times when she did let him have his way, but most of the time, it was a battle between the two of them. And that turned Shepard on more than anything else. He didn't want a woman to just lie there, scream, and cry out in pleasure. He needed an equal, somebody who'd match his every move and try to outdo him. And boy did Miranda fit the bill.

They broke apart only to catch their breaths, and she drew him into the cabin by tugging at his belt. Shepard seized her and hoisted her up into his arms. He carried her down the steps, hungrily staring into her eyes, and she gave him a knowing smile as if to say _do your worst, Shepard_.

No sooner had she given him this look than did he reclaim her mouth again with his. She grabbed his cheeks with both hands; an azure energy seeped from her palms and made contact with his skin. He reveled in the feeling and followed suit with his mouth as he pulled upon her lips with his own. His head was spinning so madly with lust that he forgot about their surroundings and stumbled onto the bed.

As Shepard's shin made contact with it, he completely lost his balance, dropped her, and toppled onto Miranda. He separated himself from her mouth immediately to assess the possible damage while bracing his body with both hands on either side of her. "God, I'm sorry, Miranda," he breathed. "Are you-"

She never gave him a chance to finish the question and grabbed him by the head back down to her carnivorous lips. Shepard was more than happy to oblige, and this time as he broke free, he showered her with numerous kisses. Some were placed upon her lips, some landed upon her nose, and some went to her chin. He finally settled upon a southern route and nibbled down her jaw to the flesh upon her neck. The solitary exhale that came from her lips and the slight tilting upward of her head told him that he was on the right track. Her fingers twitched into his hair, directing it erratically as his lips performed their magic.

A warm but very unwelcome ring tone told him that the intercom was being activated. Moments later, he heard Traynor's voice come over it. "Commander Shepard, sir?"

He growled into Miranda's neck but continued his quest as if nothing had just occurred. She also expressed her disappointment with a heavy sigh.

"Sir, can you hear me?" the British accent softly bored into his ears.

"Unfortunately," Shepard grumbled to himself and groaned as his body suddenly became all too heavy when he straightened up. "What's happening?"

"Ms. Allers is requesting an interview with you, sir."

"Can it wait until later?" He rolled his neck from one side to the other with some very audible cracks. "I was trying to…relax."

"I'll relay the message, sir. Might I tell her a specific time?"

"I'll call for her this evening before dinner."

"Very well, sir. I apologize profusely for the disturbance. Sleep is apparently becoming more of a luxury to everyone these days, myself included."

Shepard swept a hand across his forehead and trudged up the stairs into the bathroom.

"What's wrong, Shepard?" Miranda called after him and sat upon the edge of the bed.

"Maybe it's best that I don't get to bury myself in you right now." He started the water in the sink and began to wash his hands.

Her eyebrows furrowed with worry, and she arose to follow him. She remained just outside with her back to him, though he did not close the door. "We were rarely able to talk like this on the Collector mission. Now's as good a time as any to start."

"Yeah." Shepard turned the faucet off and leaned upon the sink with his hands. "So let's start with a few questions that I've had on my mind."

"Only a few?" she mused with a muffled snort.

"Okay, so there's a lot." He hung his head. "The planet we were just on, Ontarom; that wasn't the first time I'd done a mission there. Three years ago, I found a base there with former Alliance scientists. Well, Hackett said that they were former Alliance scientists, so I guess that that was his way of telling me that they belonged to Cerberus." After a moment, he went on. "This project had to do with someone named Dr. Riley Wayne and a fellow Alliance soldier by the name of Corporal Victor Toombs. Do either of those names sound familiar to you?"

"No, they don't. I was the second in charge to the Illusive Man, but there were projects going on that even my eyes didn't see. Call it damage control or plausible deniability if you will."

"Well I don't know what they called the cell or unit, but this scheme had to do with the deaths of over fifty Alliance marines on the planet Akuze." Shepard waited for her to interject or say something else, but she merely turned around and peered inside the bathroom. "The scientists lured them into a trap and let the entire troop get hit by a thresher maw. All but one marine died. He said that they took him to that facility I found him in on Ontarom and ran all sorts of tests on him."

"Tests?"

"Yeah, they apparently ran non-diluted thresher maw acid through his veins…without anesthetic."

"No doubt that it was to test the creature's toxicity levels."

"That doesn't make it right!" he barked and bit his lip.

"Who said that it did?" She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorjamb.

"Look, you…" Shepard interrupted himself and pushed himself off of the sink. "When my team and I found Dr. Wayne, Toombs had him at gunpoint. Then he told me what had happened. I couldn't let that scientist walk away, Miranda, and I didn't want the poor bastard to go to jail for life just for delivering his own justice. So I shot Wayne myself right there."

"And you want to know what I think of you for doing it?"

"No, I want to know what you think of Cerberus for doing what they did to Toombs." His dark eyes searched hers.

She held his gaze for a moment and then ran the tip of her tongue over her lips as her eyes flickered away to the left. "Sometimes…unpleasant things have to be done in the name of science. Sometimes unspeakable things go on, like some of the experiments that went on with prisoners of war on Earth in earlier centuries."

"You…" his eyebrows wrinkled with disappointment, " you can't seriously mean that. You think that what went on…was honestly for the good of humanity?"

"Maybe not in this case-"

"The marines went to investigate why 150 colonists went missing on Akuze, and this attack happened in 2177, Miranda. The bastards tortured him for almost six goddamned years!" Shepard's voice raised in volume. "How can you condone their actions?"

"You are one to bloody well talk about slaughter, Shepard." Her eyes came back to stare him down. "The Butcher of Torfan who got everyone killed in your unit. And if we're going to even start about bringing up the past, specifically three years ago, you also massacred that entire colony of biotic cultists on Presrop!"

He took a step towards her and clenched his teeth. "I tried to reason with the cult leader, and that in itself worked by playing to his crazed logic. I said that he'd be responsible for all of his 'children's' deaths." Shepard then remembered how it all went wrong and hung his head. "I insisted that we bring Major Kyle, my former CO back to the Normandy with us. He begged me not to, and I refused to listen to him. All hell broke loose as the lunatics lost it when they saw their leader being taken away from them."

"There were about sixty members on that moon, weren't there?"

"Yeah. I didn't feel guilty then, but…" he trailed off and walked out of the bathroom to lean onto his desk. "But I could have avoided that blood bath if I'd only listened to Major Kyle."

"Then maybe that's how Dr. Wayne felt," she returned softly and faced him.

"No, he tried to lie his way out of the situation. He did this after Toombs and his fellow mercs attacked the base. There's no way that he was sorry that he did those experiments; he was only sorry that he got caught. And that's why I sided with Toombs."

"I see."

Shepard removed one hand from the desk and scratched his cheek with a finger. His tone went down to nearly a whisper. "Damn, we're really two screwed up people, Miranda. I'm not sure how we're going to make our relationship work if we survive this assault on the Illusive Man's base _and_ the final battle with the Reapers on Earth."

Her taciturn response made him hesitate before he spun around slowly. "But I'll do everything I can to deliver on my part…and more." He reached for her hand and began to stroke it affectionately. "Throw me a line here, Miranda. Where are we?"

She clasped her fingers through his and led him down the stairs. She then turned to face him, knelt down to sit on the bed, and placed his hand atop her heart. It loomed dangerously close to her bosom, and Miranda looked directly into his eyes. "I'm here, Shepard," was all she said.

And that was all he needed to hear.

Their lovemaking was slow and natural; neither used their biotic talents, and for the first time ever, she laid below him the entire time. When it was over, he curled into her completely, and they slept against one another much like the night before.

Two hours later, a violent nightmare ripped through Shepard's mind. He saw Thessia being torn apart, the shrieks of the doomed asari over his suit radio, the Citadel being attacked again, and innocents that were unfortunately caught in the crossfire by Cerberus assault troopers. Images of Samara's kicking and screaming daughter Falere swamped him as he had to carry her over his shoulder on the way out of the Ardat-Yakshi monastery on Lesuss. The blast of the bombs rocked the elevator violently in the shaft, and after it had reached the top, Samara nearly committed suicide over the shock of having to kill the last of her daughters. Thankfully, he'd been fast enough to stop her, but that didn't make the tragedy of the situation any lighter. If only he'd gotten to the monastery sooner…

He awoke in a sweat and jerked himself out from underneath Miranda's arm. She had been draped over him but now stirred with a quiet moan as he left her. A gentle rapping came to the door of his quarters. "What's going on, Shepard?" Miranda asked with her eyelids fluttering open.

"Nothing, love. Just go back to sleep. I'll be there shortly," he told her and kissed her forehead.

He slipped a pair of boxers on, pulled the duvet over Miranda's naked form, and went to answer the door. "Hey, Liara," he greeted the asari and strolled outside the room.

She nervously avoided gawking upon his muscular form and tried to focus upon his eyes. "Commander, I…if this is a bad time…"

"It's not. What can I do for you?" He leaned against the wall and arched his back like a cat against it.

"EDI says that you weren't responding to your intercom when both Ms. Traynor and Joker attempted to contact you." Her eyes fluttered up and down his body giving him a once over. Then she bent down to recover his N7 breather helmet and gave it to him. It didn't take a rocket scientist to ascertain his previous activities. "I…completely understand why you wished to remain undisturbed, and I'm very sorry to be the one doing it…"

"I woke up from a nightmare, Liara. You didn't disturb us," he shook his head 'no'.

"Do you want to talk about it?" her silky voice brushed against him.

"Later, maybe…thanks, Liara."

"Admiral Hackett is on the vid com in the war room. Come by my office later on, if it pleases you." One last gaze from her cobalt eyes made Shepard recall that she had never forgotten about him. That piece of N7 body armor that was encased in glass in her apartment in Nos Astra on Illium reminded him that she still loved him. Even after they had spoken after his imprisonment with Cerberus shortly after he helped her become the Shadow Broker, she confessed that she still had feelings for him. Much to her disappointment, he told her that he didn't, and that Miranda was his true love. She understood his feelings and wished nothing but the best for him.

Shepard clothed himself in his Alliance casual wear; Miranda herself awoke to the sound of his razor and also dressed. "I'll see you downstairs. I'm going to go check in on Oriana," she informed him with a smile as they parted ways in the elevator.

Orbit of Gei Hinnom, Sheol cluster, Hades Nexus system

Normandy SR-2 Vid Com Room, 1704h

Shepard stood at full attention to give a salute to Admiral Hackett as his image appeared upon the quantum entanglement communicator. "Sir, did you receive my report regarding the mission on Ontarom?" he inquired and went back to his previous posture. "I must apologize for making you wait, Admiral, sir."

"At ease, Commander, yes, I did. Let's relax the protocols a bit. There may not be an Alliance program if we don't get our act together soon." Hackett paused as he gathered his thoughts. "The admirals and I are currently planning for our up and coming assault upon the Illusive Man's base, Shepard. Those ciphers that you passed along to us from Ontarom were a huge help."

"That was thanks to Lt. Vega, sir." Shepard folded his hands behind his back.

"Hmm, well, his actions will not be overlooked, Commander, you can tell him that. Something else has come up in the meanwhile, though."

"Sir?"

"There's another Cerberus base we've located in the Fortuna cluster upon the planet Amaranthine. It appears to be a weapons facility that utilizes Reaper tech to manufacture omni-tools, upgrades, and armor. We know this because there's a mole there who contacted us; someone who knew Admiral Kahoku from years ago, by the name of Armistan Banes."

"I think that I recall that name. It led to dead end after dead end three years ago while I was doing a favor for Dr. Chloe Michel on the Citadel. Nobody could give me a straight answer about him," Shepard agreed with a nod. "Kahoku couldn't even do so when I asked him after I went to investigate those missing marines of his."

"Well, whatever he's done is irrelevant now; he wants to help the cause. And that's because something has gone terribly wrong with that Reaper control signal that Henry Lawson manufactured."

"No kidding-another Cerberus project that went haywire."

"Yes, and the soldiers there are going insane and suicidal, using themselves as bombs. There are some civilians there are well, scientists, who want out for obvious reasons." Hackett rubbed his fingers against the front of his palms. "Banes has been protecting them to a degree, but he won't go too far because of the kamikaze troopers."

"How much time do we have?"

"He says that he'll hold out as long as he possibly can, but I would guess that should we want to get as many of the scientists out unharmed, it's likely that we've got twelve hours or less."

"That's all?"

"This is a huge guess, Commander. Our analysts are being stretched to their limits here, and they can't-"

"Understood, Admiral, sir. We'll hit the base tonight in a surprise attack."

"Good. When it's finished, I won't expect a report or a debriefing for a while, Commander. I know that you haven't been sleeping well."

"Sleep is for weaklings," Shepard said with a thin smile.

"Consider that your next mission to fulfill for the Alliance, then, Commander, after you've completed this one on Amarantharine. And that's an order." Hackett disconnected the call before Shepard could argue.

Shepard departed the vid com room and traveled throughout the war room to make his way to the CIC. "EDI, could you please ask Lt. Commander Williams, Liara, and Miranda to meet me in the crew mess ASAP? Also, please inform them of the mission objective."

"Understood," the AI answered.

Ten minutes later…

Four Alliance crew members eating at one of the tables in the crew mess immediately stopped as Shepard entered and all arose from their seats to come to full attention. Before he could tell them 'as you were', they all cleared their trays from it, and silently strolled to the other table to continue their meal.

Williams walked in first and shoved a protein bar into his hands. "If we're gonna all sit here and plan for this, you're gonna eat something. Sir," she added as an afterthought. When she sat down, Liara and Miranda departed from her office to join them. Their conversation dwindled into one final sentence as they both noticed Shepard's presence and sat next to one another at the table across from Ashley.

"Okay. Since we don't have much time on our side, I'd like to plan for this assault now," he started. "Brainstorming is very welcome at this point, since the intel from Hackett is incredibly little. We have no clue where Banes is located, but we do have some satellite holos." Shepard brought up the images from his omni-tool for them to study. "I'd like to go in the back door just after it gets dark."

Ash gave him an intimidating stare and eyed the protein bar as he had discarded it onto the table; it was reminiscent of his mother's expressions before a disciplinary action occurred. Miranda's eyes scanned coolly over the holo as it rotated slowly. "That sounds logical, Commander."

"Since you plan to hit the base at night, why not just stick to a plain frontal assault? We already have the jump on the suicidal soldiers _and_ have an inside man. He could set off alarms in the complex elsewhere to distract the enemy," Williams suggested.

"Hmm, while I do usually like a straight up fight, I don't want to do it this time. If the troopers are killing themselves, the scientists could get caught in the middle," Shepard's fingers tugged at his bottom lip. "Things could get ugly fast."

"What does that matter? The scientists are already working for Cerberus. They're terrorists just like the soldiers, and who's to say that they aren't indoctrinated as well? Have you considered the fact that this could be a trap set up by Cerberus just to get rid of you, Commander?"

Shepard deactivated his omni-tool and slid his fingers along the protein bar's wrapper to open the package as he listened to her. Seconds later, it found its way into his very hungry mouth.

"Perhaps it's possible to reverse the effects of indoctrination if we remove the scientists as well as Banes away from the Reaper tech," Miranda theorized. "It would also be worth it to have more of them alive to help build the Crucible, wouldn't it?"

Williams' eyes darted across the table and locked with hers. "This is an _Alliance_ matter, Lawson; mind your own damn business. You're not this ship's XO anymore, nor are you a part of the crew, and the only reason you're here is because of Shepard."

As Miranda was about to verbally defend herself, Ashley went on with her diatribe. "Regardless of your actions on Horizon and that god-forsaken project from that lunatic father of yours, I'd _still_ put you under lock and key."

"You seem to forget that Cerberus used to be part of the Alliance, Williams. We were a phantom limb that did a lot of its dirty work beforehand. The Alliance has many skeletons in its own closet as well. If you have any sort of pragmatism in that thick-headed skull of yours, then you should stop glorifying them as if they're saints." Miranda kept her tone extremely civil; this however, only roused Ashley to anger.

"Do you know what surgeons do with _phantom_ limbs that don't serve a purpose or have the potential to become a threat to the body?" she retorted.

"Ash, if you can't follow my orders or stop berating Miranda for offering some simple tactical advice, then you should stay on the Normandy tonight," Shepard calmly intervened. "In case you've forgotten, I'm still the commanding officer of this ship, and I respect _both_ of your opinions. If Hackett doesn't have a problem with a former Cerberus operative on the Normandy, then you shouldn't either." He took another bite of the protein bar and arose to go to the refrigerator for a drink.

Both human women still had their eyes locked upon one another. Liara saw the tension piling up like a horrible car accident and offered an opinion of her own. "Shepard, since we do potentially have another team member here now, what if two teams assault the base? One can go in from the front as the Lt. Commander suggests, and the other can go in from behind as you wish."

Shepard removed an energy drink canister and popped it open with a flick of his thumb and index finger. "That sounds terrific, Liara. Ash, are you game?"

"Aye, aye, sir. Since it was my idea, would it be all right if I led the assault from the front?" She directed her attention towards him.

"Of course. Miranda, would you join us?"

"Without a doubt. I've almost missed fighting alongside you," the Aussie said with a beam.

"Almost, eh?" He poured the contents of the can down his throat. "So about that scuffle we had earlier-"

Miranda stretched out her fingertips, and thankfully, he had just emptied the can. It crinkled into nothing as a blue field surrounded it and stung him as the electricity sought an outlet for its energy. Liara chuckled as Shepard jumped back and got up from her chair. "That was an excellent display of your powers, Miranda. It's doubtful that you'll ever need the tutelage of an asari. Now if you'll all please excuse me, I need to get back to my work."

"Just be ready to get down to the shuttle in a few hours, Liara. I'll be taking you and Miranda with me as we hit the back of the facility," Shepard called.

"Certainly." She waived her hand over the sensor at the door. "And I'd appreciate being given a little more than two minutes' notice prior to our boarding time, please, Commander."

"Isn't that what this is now?" he shrugged with a boyish grin. The asari shook her head and disappeared without another word.

Williams also arose from the table. "Hey, Commander, you don't seriously believe what Lawson said was right, do you, I mean, about indoctrination? What if we touch something in that base or it touches us?" She studied him as he pondered her question for a few moments. "Whom should I take with me, Commander?" she asked.

"Take James and Javik. Having some biotic powers at your side might just give you an extra edge."

"Will do, sir. And thanks for hearing me out. Whoops, excuse me," she apologized after she backed into Oriana, who was just exiting the crew quarters.

"Shepard, I'll go check on your armor's progress to see if it's been repaired yet. Should I need to worry about getting permission from your suspicious colleagues downstairs as well in order to arm myself for our mission?" Miranda questioned him.

"James knows who's in charge. Remind him should it become necessary," Shepard announced and picked up the crushed can from the floor.

"Not a problem." She touched her sister on the arm with a smile and stepped into the elevator.

"Commander, I never got the chance to thank you for saving me-again, from what Miranda's told me," Oriana called and made her way into the mess.

"Hello, Oriana, how're you doing?" he gave her a smile.

"This ship is so much different than I thought it'd be. And your crew has really been nice to me, despite the fact that my sister used to work for Cerberus."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'd have to crack some heads open otherwise." Shepard gestured for her to come closer and gave her a wink.

"Your communications specialist Samantha has been kind enough to take me under her wing, so to speak. I've been learning some things from her about networks, how communication buoys and relays work, and that's just a start."

"Miranda told me that you wanted to work in colony development. We'll sure need people like that to sort us all out after the war." He peered into her stormy irises. "Wow, you _really_ do look like her. Anyhow, is there anything you need while you've got my attention here? Just name whatever you need and it'll be yours."

"Well, I kinda wish that I could get in touch with Danner, the guy that I was interested in before this giant war started. He hasn't been answering any of my messages on the extranet. That's kind of the reason why I was talking to Specialist Traynor."

"You Lawson women are so resourceful," he joked. "We may be able to use some of the Alliance's resources to find out about him. Where was he living, do you know?"

"Freedom's Progress. But that wasn't the reason why I wanted to talk to you, Commander. I know how important the war is right now, and what I want isn't the same as what I need, which you've already given me. Doing that would be selfish."

"And you're practical just like her, too. You uh…don't have any biotic talents either, do you?"

"Father didn't expose me to element zero, no. Miranda took me away before he could start to do that."

"Well, I'd better go get ready for our next fight. I'll never hear the end of it from your sister if my medi-gel supply isn't filled to the brim." He made his way to the lift.

"Thanks again, Commander.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Amaranthine, Fortuna cluster, Horse Head Nebula System

Kodiak Shuttle, 2208h

The hum of the shuttle was the only thing any of the six team mates could hear for the first ten minutes after Cortez deployed from the Normandy's hangar bay doors. Conversation was very sparse as each squad member checked his or her ammunition or guns more than a few times. Shepard secured his sentry visor over his eyes and arose from his seat next to Miranda. "All right, Williams, Cortez will drop the three of us first at the back and then your team at the front. Give us a few minutes to dismantle security measures and wait for my go on coms, okay?" Shepard ordered her.

"You got it, Commander. We'll wait until we hear some alarms go off and then head in, guns blazing like the wrath of God," she nodded and secured her helmet to her head. "And Shepard, no matter what happens…God be with you."

He opened the hatch as Cortez rounded the base's corner and drifted closely to a walkway that lead into the facility. "And also with you," he whispered. In a much louder voice, he extended his arm towards the base. "All right, ladies, after you."

"Your chivalry, although appreciated, is hardly applicable here, Shepard," Miranda rolled her eyes and hopped onto the platform. Liara followed her, and Shepard took the lead after pulling out his silenced pistol. After he checked the area for automated turrets, he gestured for his teammates to accompany him to the back door.

"Miranda, if you'd do the honors, please," he pointed to the lock. "Liara and I will cover you."

"Right," the Aussie nodded and activated her omni-tool to assimilate her task. "Ah, this looks like an older system; it's probably got outdated software." She began to bypass the circuit boards but then suddenly stopped as she got to the second set. She turned to face Shepard.

"What's wrong?"

"Shepard, I'm having second thoughts about our mission. Did Hackett give you any intel about this place specifically, like the number of scientists to expect as well as soldiers?"

"No, he didn't, but those numbers can change within the hour," Shepard shrugged.

"That's a given, yes, but why didn't Hackett give you a means to communicate with Banes? He was obviously able to get a message out to Alliance Command, wasn't he?"

"Well, Banes is in a desperate situation right now and can probably only communicate at intervals. And we'd better get moving before Vega does something rash. He gets impatient way too fast, even faster than I." He pointed his index finger towards the front entrance.

Miranda's hand went to her hip. "Shepard, if you believe that Lt. Commander Williams is able to command a squad, then you should trust that she can hold back that simpleton from doing something reckless."

"I agree with Miranda, Shepard," Liara nodded and relaxed her stance as she pointed her gun at the ground. "Something doesn't feel right about this mission."

"We can't pull out now," he shook his head 'no'. "There are too many lives at stake here."

"Commander, what's your 20?" Ash's voice called to him over the radio.

"Ash, we're in a bit of a debate here. I'm having some second thoughts now…like if we should even go on with this assignment."

Liara holstered her submachine pistol and Shepard did the same with his pistol.

"Didn't Admiral Hackett order us down here for a good reason, Commander? The sooner we do this, the sooner everyone can go home and prepare for the assault on Cerberus HQ, sir," the Alliance soldier remarked. "What're you worried about?"

Shepard then recapitulated both Liara's and Miranda's points of view. Williams listened without making an interruption then finally made her reply when he asked her what she thought that they should do.

"Well, can Lawson get in touch with those Cerberus scientists somehow from inside once you get in the back door? Maybe there's a secret phrase that they know to abort everything and lay low."

"Yes, there are such messages, Williams," Miranda replied. "But if a Cerberus soldier were to even catch a glimpse of one on a terminal or an omni-tool, everything that we're risking here would be for nothing. They'd all start to blow themselves up one by one once they realize that their colleagues are doing it. For all we know, the troopers could have wired every single one of the doors with a bomb, too. That's what made me reconsider my decision with hacking the lock."

Shepard touched his fingers to his earpiece. "EDI, can you do a scan of this place and tell us-"

"Already done, Shepard," the AI answered him. "What Ms. Lawson has hypothesized is unfortunately true. Bombs have been placed at all of the facility's entrances and exits." Miranda shook her head as if to say _I knew it_.

"Can you tell how many people are in the base?"

"Yes. I am able to detect that there are twenty-seven bodies present. I cannot however confirm how many are armed. There are bodies in the research areas or laboratories that appear to be working on things, though." A few seconds of silence passed between everyone before EDI continued. "Specialist Traynor reports that we have an incoming signal coming from a person claiming to be Armistan Banes."

"Patch him through."

"Very well, Shepard." Seconds later, some static came onto the channel.

"Commander, where the hell are you? The scientists here are deliberately stalling and messing up their research to buy more time for you all," Banes informed them.

"What did Hackett tell you about us?" Shepard queried.

"Why does that matter to you? Look, I knew that the Normandy was coming to bail us all out, and that I'm willing to do whatever the hell is necessary to protect these people so that they can help you wipe out the Reapers." He hesitated before going on as if he were assessing his situation. "I can't talk for much longer, or else I'll be compromised here, Commander."

Miranda suddenly interrupted them all as her fingers touched her own earpiece. "Aries' favor rests with King Priam and the Trojans."

"Who is this?" Banes demanded.

"Aries' favor rests with King Priam and the Trojans," she repeated the sentence more slowly.

Shepard and Liara gave one another uneasy glances as both teams waited for a response from their inside source. The tension that was mounting inside of him was no less dangerous than when the destroyer on Rannoch was firing upon him. He felt everything start to clam up as more time passed on the silent radio channel. What if this was the one mission that went wrong and cost them the war?

"But Athena's rests with Agaememnon and Greece," Banes finally responded.

With a slight nod of assurance to her immediate squad mates, she continued. "It doesn't matter who I am to you. Did you know anything about the charges that have been set upon every single door? And if so, why didn't you tell Alliance Command about them?"

"What? What do you mean?" Before she could respond, he went on. "Look, I can't stay on this channel. I've got to go."

Liara rested her hand upon her chin and then extended her other hand for the elbow to sit upon it as she thought. "Time is running out, Shepard. Either Banes is lying to you, or he's being held against his will. And that could mean that as Lt. Williams feared earlier this evening, that this is indeed a trap to kill you."

_You are dust struggling against cosmic wind. It is pointless to resist._

"Shepard?" Liara's voice called to him, as he seemed to be staring off into space.

"Hmm." He leaned his head back and rolled his shoulders around. "EDI, can you tell how many of the people inside the complex are sweating or have extremely high body temperatures?" Shepard wondered.

"You think that Banes would have sabotaged the air conditioning to deceive thermal scanning equipment," Miranda inferred. "It's a sound theory."

"Unfortunately, Shepard, the Normandy is too far out of range for me to take accurate readings," EDI replied. "But perhaps Lt. Cortez can do so in the shuttle."

"No, I don't want to risk the lives of these scientists inside should Cortez come within visual range of the base," Shepard disagreed and held up his hand.

"Commander, these lives are not worth the trouble if the mission becomes much more complicated," Javik piped in his thoughts. "We should not continue to attack this base. You already have people from this organization that are working on the Crucible. Your Alliance army should not assault this Illusive Man's base of operations if more time is needed to complete the weapon."

"What do you mean, Javik?"

"By now, Commander, you must understand how I think," the Prothean responded coolly. "I am in agreement with the asari and the human female soldier. This is a trap, and you are far too important to your own kind to waste your time on this planet for a probability."

Shepard's eyes traveled to Miranda's; they pleaded with hers to voice her own judgments. She returned his gaze and folded her arms across her chest. "If there are truly scientists in the lab, then they would have been able to give Banes a better means of communication and not such an unreliable signal. He couldn't give you any real answers, Shepard."

He pursed his lips together and nervously rubbed his fingers above his lips as he considered his options. So much was riding on his shoulders right now. Did a dozen more scientists really matter now? What if he could only get a handful of them out? What if they were all too shell shocked to work?

Miranda's voice broke his train of thoughts as she had an idea. "I may be able to overload the bomb on the other side of the door with my omni-tool; however, that would cause a number of other electronic devices surrounding the area to immediately fail as well from the EMP charge."

"And if there were guards in that area…" Liara added.

Shepard drew his pistol again from his belt. "Do it, Miranda. Ash, if you hear something go wrong, you take your chances from the front. We'll try to evacuate as many scientists as possible."

"Will do, Commander. You can count on us," she told him.

Miranda spun around and continued her work. Before she opened the door, though, she sent a charge through it. The suspense was terrifying for all three teammates as they waited; they all wisely kept their distance. Finally, the door successfully opened without causing an explosion.

As Miranda had stated, the lights and several pieces of electronic equipment near the entrance were not functioning. Shepard crept forward first and motioned for his squad mates to keep their distance. Liara and Miranda hid behind a tall stack of crates that was approximately seven feet high while Shepard crouched behind some barrels of either gas or liquid that were much shorter right next to them.

One lone assault trooper wandered into the room to check on the disturbance; the stunning club remained attached to his hip, and he had no assault rifle upon his back. Shepard cocked his pistol and was about to take him out until Liara's hand came to rest upon his shoulder. He stared up at her in wonder, and she pointed to the anomalous situation that was walking around the room right in front of them.

The soldier was not armed; the armor he wore appeared to be full of bullet holes. The telltale sign that also would have completely ruined the mission came into the light as he drew closer to their party; he was wired with explosives! As Shepard had guessed, the temperature was extremely warm, and as the assault trooper came closer, the squad mates all heard his labored breathing.

When the soldier was within grabbing distance, Shepard quickly seized him from behind the barrels and held a finger to his own lips. He pulled the helmet off of the man; there were no apparent traces of Reaper tech within his eyes, just complete terror. It was one of the scientists!

His eyes were full of worry as he looked upon his assailants, but some of it subsided as he made a second glance upon Miranda. "You," was all he said.

"Tell us why Banes lied about the mission," Shepard demanded.

"Banes is being held hostage like all of us here by someone named Victor Toombs," the scientist answered him, trying to calm himself down. "I only know this because I was there in the first lab when he took us by surprise with his mercenaries. The rest of my team is," he swallowed a nervous gulp, "is dressed in these uniforms just like me to fool outside infrared sensors as well as any outside help."

"Well, that almost _did_ work," Miranda mused.

"We really do all want to help work on the Crucible. Toombs' team took out the original soldiers stationed here, and that's why you see all the extensive damage here," the scientist bent his head down to examine the bullet holes and blood that was smeared all over the armor. "He's crazy-he's having conversations with himself! And he's ordered complete silence throughout the base because of all the voices in his head!"

"Are you injured? You should get out of here while no one knows that you're missing from the group," Shepard ordered him. He was about to help the scientist get to his feet when the man shook his head 'no.'

"This bomb has a proximity distance trigger; I can't leave the compound without killing us all," he explained. "The trigger is on a device that Toombs brought with him and runs on a wireless network. It…it looks like one of those Prothean spheres. I remember working on one of those once!"

Miranda holstered her submachine pistol and knelt down next to the scientist. "If what you're saying is true, then Toombs' team of mercs won't know Cerberus codes. You should return to the others. Tell them that Hector will face Achilles alone, but the siege will go on."

"Hector will face Achilles alone, but the siege will go on," he repeated at first with a puzzled expression. As he remembered the meaning of the code, some relief came over his face, and he arose to his feet. "All right. We'll be ready." The scientist collected his helmet from the ground and secured it to his head with a slightly more relaxed sigh. He departed from the team's sight, Miranda arose to her feet, and withdrew her weapon from her belt.

"What did that mean?" Shepard asked her.

"It's an order to start to erase all existence of a Cerberus facility. And it also means that outside extraction support will be coming soon," she told him.

Without another moment to lose, Shepard activated his radio.

"Williams, bring your party around the back. We're inside the base, and you were right. This whole mission was a ruse to get to me. Everyone who's wearing a lab uniform is hostile, and the people who are dressed in Cerberus assault trooper uniforms are friendlies."

"All right, Commander. I've got no less than twenty questions to ask you right now, but they can all wait until later," she replied.

"How long will you need to get here?"

"Since we have to go the long way around on foot, I'm gonna make a wild guess here and say ten minutes."

"Shepard, my cyber warfare suite could send a virus to the trigger that will disable the proximity bombs. However, I must have the name of the network in order to do that. If you could get into range of the detonator and tell me, then that would be sufficient," EDI informed him.

"All right, EDI, I'll work it into a sentence about the weather somehow, since it's so damned hot in here already." He got up onto his feet and some sweat off of his brow.

"Commander, I don't think that that's a good idea," Liara said and touched his arm. "Perhaps we could enlist the assistance of one of the scientists somehow instead."

"They'll be busy enough passing codes among themselves and staying alive," Miranda disagreed. "But I don't like this any more than you."

"I do not understand why you consistently put your life at risk for others who are a remote contingency, Commander," Javik spat. "Jeopardizing yourself for a mission that is an obvious trap is a fool's errand."

"I like your style, Loco, but you're still nuts," Vega chuckled. "You sure you really wanna do this?"

"Do you _still _not have a clue as to how much of the galaxy needs you, sir?" Williams inquired. "This is suicidal. I'd rather make a plan that involves Vega crashing another shuttle into the whole damn place."

"You need time to get here, and we need all of those scientists. This debate is over," Shepard stated. He instantly ducked as he noticed two of the mercs (dressed as the scientists) meander into the room armed with assault rifles.

The soldiers peered around the room. "This must be one of their older facilities," one commented. "Not everything is as perfect as you'd think." He signaled his companion's attention to the strobing fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling and the darkened area. Both mercs suddenly swung their weapons around and turned back to back. "Did you see that wall move?"

"This day has been too fucking long, man. Walls don't move. You're seeing things," the latter told him.

"You mean you didn't? Shit, where did Toombs get that trigger for those bombs any way? That thing didn't look like anything you could get from Hahne Kedar or Elkoss Combine or even Haliat Armories."

Shepard prepared himself for action and wiped some more sweat off of the back of his neck that had begun to bother him. Liara and Miranda once again flanked each other behind the crates.

"Maybe it's better not to know. Credits speak for themselves, don't they?"

"Ah, well maybe you're right. Nothing weird goin' on here," the former said with a shrug. "Come on, let's grab some water from the cooler once we get back to the lab." When they left, Ashley's voice came over Shepard's receiver in a whisper.

"We're on our way to you, Commander."

"Good. Okay, ladies, let's go." He waived his hand forward, and they accompanied him without a word. Nothing could be heard throughout their journey with the exception of Miranda's heeled boots clicking across the tiled floor and moving clothes.

About one minute later, they arrived at an electronically locked opaque door marked with the infamous split hexagonal Cerberus logo. "Sure hope that this leads to the lab," he mumbled and pressed a gloved hand to it while his omni-tool did its work. He made eye contact with them and put away his weapon. "I'd like for the two of you to wait on either side here. If things go to hell faster than usual, you both know what to do."

"Shepard," Liara gave him one last desperate plea, and her face wrinkled into a sad pout. She didn't even have to tell him to be careful.

"I know. I will." He gave her a weak grin and then tuned to Miranda, who lowered her gun. "So, how about one for the road?" he pointed to his cheek and gave her a half smile.

Miranda shook her head incredulously. "You're such a damned fool."

"But not half bad looking, at least," he shrugged. "Thanks for putting the pieces back together. Like you said, you do some damned good-"

He never got to finish his sentence as she let one hand go from her weapon to cup his jaw and bring her lips to his. If the temperature weren't so warm already, he would have been sweating after this kind of passion. The kiss was so fierce with energy, at first Shepard swore that his lips were burning. At the end, when their lips gradually parted from one another, she caressed his cheek and ran her fingers longingly over his mouth.

"I love you,"she whispered and took her place across the way from Liara.

"Oh, wow, well…now I can't die _here_," he joked. "I'm looking forward to cashing in on that statement later on."

"You'd better."

Shepard turned upon his heel and opened the door. No sooner had he walked another ten feet into the lab with his hands raised in surrender when dozens of Toombs' mercs flanked him holding up their assault rifles and shotguns. "Okay, I know I didn't bring an invitation, fellas, but this is a bit harsh," he laughed feebly.

"Keep going inside, dirt bag," one of the mercs ordered him and shoved the barrel of his assault rifle into Shepard's lower back.

"Look who we found," another merc proudly informed his boss, who was currently holding a gun to Armistan Banes' head.

Time was not kind to Victor Toombs; he looked just as weak and unstable as when Shepard saw him three years ago on Ontarom. The only difference was that now he had the advantage of both men and firepower. His eyes had that familiar peacock hue reminiscent of the same color that Shepard saw in Saren and the Illusive Man. "I knew that Hackett would send you. Everyone else in the Alliance has been running around like chickens with their heads cut off," he glanced at Shepard briefly, then returned his attention to Banes. "Welcome to the gateway to Hell, Shepard."

_We are the harbinger of your destruction._

"Do you know why they are, Toombs? Have you noticed what's been going on for the past few months?" Shepard inquired.

"Like I care, especially after I found out that you were sleeping with the enemy. You turned your back on the Alliance and me!"

"The Alliance wasn't doing anything about the human colonies that went missing, Toombs. At the time, Cerberus was a necessary evil. And now they need to be wiped out." He paused to study his surroundings. "You know, I have to congratulate you, Toombs. This was quite an elaborate scheme just to lure me here."

"I'm killing two birds with one stone, Shepard. I can blow up another Cerberus base _and_ a traitor. What could be better than that?"

"How about we make a deal? Let these people go, and we can both take down the Illusive Man himself. I'm planning to hit his base next." Shepard held up his hands peacefully.

"You talked me down three years ago when my brain wasn't right. Now that I'm whole again, you're not gonna take advantage of me this time."

"So how'd you learn about this place?"

"I got the intel from a dead Shadow Broker operative on Omega while the Cerberus siege happened. Talk about a gift that was dropped practically into my lap." Toombs proudly grinned and made eye contact with Shepard again. "Where's the rest of your team?"

Shepard sheepishly glanced about himself and took a few steps forward towards Toombs. "Guess I must've left them on the Normandy."

"I'm not as stupid as I must look. Where's the krogan? Or the asari?"

"You want me, not them. That's why I'm here." He ventured forward even further as his eyes swept the lab for the trigger.

"That's as far as you go, Shepard." Toombs made a gesture with his head, and his mercenaries readied their weapons. The Alliance soldier stopped dead in his tracks as he finally discovered where the trigger was. Unfortunately, the holo screen was still too far away for him to read; it was about five inches across and one inch wide. The trigger also appeared to be emanating a cerulean blue pulse every few seconds.

"Let's talk about this, Victor. These scientists don't want to work for Cerberus any more. They've seen how corrupt and wrong the Illusive Man has become."

"So you worked for them because they were looking into disappearing human colonies. I did the same thing for the Alliance, Shepard, on Akuze almost ten years ago, and they're still just as bad as they were then! Don't try to identify with me, you sick bastard!"

"Look-" Shepard took another step forward, which caused the mercs to remove all of their safeties or pump their shotguns.

"I'll kill them all, Shepard."

"Just hear me out, Victor. Then you can do whatever you'd like to me. The Reapers will destroy us all if we don't get a weapon of mass destruction together. That's what these scientists want to help us build. Cerberus wants to try and control them, but that's impossible. Nobody can do that; anyone who tries will eventually become their slave. Think of the bigger picture here, Victor."

"Stop calling me that, you lousy prick!" Toombs yelled.

"There's good in you, Toombs. I know you want to rid the galaxy of what's wrong, and that's exactly what I'm doing here, too. Help me out."

The Alliance veteran lowered his gun as he thought about Shepard's offer.

"You know, that was a brilliant move, Toombs, to kill the air conditioning," Shepard continued and smeared a hand over his burning hot face. "It fooled all of the Alliance's and Cerberus' scanning equipment. Can I ask what this does?" He journeyed towards the table that had the bombs' trigger on it and touched it. The wireless network name came right into plain sight, and it did not surprise Shepard at all.

The device pulsed and sent a surge of current into him. Shepard jumped, and this caused Toombs to raise his weapon again. The shock sent his body to the ground.

"Why'd you do that? They were talking to me, showing me the future!"

"I'm sorry, I-"

Toombs pointed the gun at Banes' head and shot him at point blank range. Blood from the Cerberus operative's head spattered onto the pristine white floor. His teammates readied themselves but this time aimed their weapons at the scientists.

"No! Please! Toombs, what did you learn on Akuze, which if I remember correctly, was a pretty hot planet?" Before the vet could answer him, Shepard went on. "The Cerberus scientists there didn't show any mercy to you or our fellow brothers and sisters in the Alliance. And that's why I couldn't let you kill Dr. Wayne. I didn't want you to live with the guilt or consequences. Can I tell you why I saw that Cerberus was wrong and why I stopped working with them?"

"You still deserve to die. You're not gonna change my mind, Shepard," Toombs sneered.

"Then don't kill them. These people haven't hurt you. We're not on Akuze."

"Patronizing me will get you absolutely nowhere, so just stop while you're ahead."

Shepard's earpiece vibrated as EDI's synthesized voice hit his ear. "I've already begun to upload the virus into the trigger, Shepard. The progression rate is currently at 20%; however, Lt. Williams the rest of her team are about to be spotted by some turrets that are on the eastern side of the complex. I will warn them and see if I am able to hack them."

Automated fire from outside the base distracted everyone; it must have come from the turrets that EDI spoke about. "Oh, crap," Shepard muttered, fired up his implants, and threw back a group of mercenaries onto the ground.

"I knew it. You lying son of a bitch!" Toombs screamed and fired his weapon at Shepard, who dived for cover behind one of the tables.

The moment that Toombs let off one round was all that Liara and Miranda needed to know that the whole plan was doomed to possible failure. They ran inside, took cover behind some walls, and started to gun down the mercs who opened fire upon Shepard. "Where are we, EDI? This could get nasty!" Shepard yelled and removed his shotgun from his lower back.

"60%, Shepard. However, it looks as if Lt. Commander Williams and her team have passed the turrets successfully," EDI replied.

The scientists all fearfully ducked their bodies wherever they could to avoid fire. Some of them even scampered through broken glass on their hands and knees to escape it.

Liara peeked her head out for a moment, saw a group of three mercs huddled together, and made eye contact with Miranda. The Aussie nodded her understanding; their minds were in harmony. The Asari nailed them with a wide singularity, and she hit them with a solid warp field.

"Enjoy the ride," Liara said.

"Now let's finish you off!" Lawson exclaimed.

Once the human and asari finished their mighty biotic combination, Shepard seized an opportune moment to charge forward into two soldiers who had broken their cover to try and assess the battle's situation.

_Pain is an illusion, Shepard. Organics need not fear us._

He blasted two rounds into them just to be sure that they were dead. His fellow squad mates gave him some suppressing fire so that no one could surprise him.

"80%, Shepard," EDI declared flatly.

"You're dead meat, and you are all mine, you scumbag!" Toombs barked. He jumped out from his hiding place and made a dead run for Shepard. "You'll never get to see what I have!"

"Look out, Shepard!" Miranda cried as she and Liara advanced.

T'soni threw out a stasis field around Toombs; he remained there as they helped clear out some more enemies from the lab. But it unfortunately did not last long enough. As soon as the field disappeared, he kept quiet this time and scanned the room for his target. Seconds later, he found Shepard kneeling behind a table that did not completely hide his legs, and put a round through his nemesis' kneecap. He ducked a hail of bullets coming from Miranda just in time after he made his shot. One round did graze his helmet and penetrate the casing, however.

Shepard grunted as the bullet entered his armor and shattered into several pieces around his patella. He crumpled onto the floor and tried to get up, but his body wouldn't let him. Shepard then activated his omni-tool and issued himself an application of medi-gel. "The upload is complete, Shepard," EDI informed him. "The scientists can now leave the premises without collateral damage."

"Good, cause I'm getting a little tired of sneaking around here. It's harder than it looks," he groaned. "Everyone out! You're good to go!" he shouted in a louder voice.

Liara and Miranda motioned to two scientists that were closest to them to go. As they headed for the exit, more of the scientists started to make a break for it. Toombs witnessed his hostages scurrying out of sight one by one and clenched his teeth. There was no way that Shepard was going to win. He was determined take everyone down, including himself if need be.

Toombs spotted Shepard leaning around a corner and squeezed in a lucky couple of shots. The first collided with an epaulet, but the next one was the one that unfortunately made an impact. The bullet nailed him just along his neck where the armor ceased to protect him, and Shepard went down. The former Alliance soldier confidently arose to his feet to go and finish him off. He reached for a failsafe trigger onto his belt. "You'll die with me, here and now," he announced.

"Not today, Toombs," Ash called from the doorway. Toombs' head snapped toward it, and she blasted him out of his misery with her assault rifle.

"Shepard!" Miranda screamed and strafed her way throughout the firefight to get to him.

When she finally did get to him, he was lying face down on his stomach. The blood that pooled around him soaked her knees as she frantically gave him one of her own applications of medi-gel. "He's losing blood, Williams, we _have_ to get him out of here fast!"

Liara threw another group of mercs into a singularity and gunned them down as James ran inside. "Where are you?" he asked as his eyes searched the lab.

"Over here!" Miranda quickly held up a hand and withdrew it before the enemy could hit it.

"Vega, get Shepard back to the shuttle with the scientists. We'll finish everyone else off here!" Ash commanded him and let loose another spray of bullets from her weapon.

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed and rolled from cover to cover towards Miranda and Shepard. Seconds later, he reached them and holstered his shotgun. "How bad is he?" he whispered to her.

"Wounded in the neck, and probably everywhere else, too. I've given him some medi-gel to seal it off," she responded gently. "Try not to jostle him if you can help it."

"Hey, I know I look all big and burly, Legs, but I'm actually quite a softie on the inside." He scooped Shepard up and cautiously hiked him up onto his shoulders. "Can you give me some cover fire?"

"With pleasure," Miranda nodded, extended her hand forward, and slammed three mercs that had just been shot at by Ashley against the wall. "Fall and die!" She continued to fire her weapon after that as if nothing had just happened.

"Damn, I don't need to be told twice. Here I go!" Vega remarked and made his escape successfully out the door with Shepard. "Esteban, I hope you're ready to fly us back to the Normandy like a runaway coyote. The commander got shot."

"I'm already at the LZ, Mr. Vega and know the score. I'm just waiting on you," the pilot told him.

After Vega brought Shepard back from the shuttle, he wasted no more time, and hurried into the med bay. Chakwas was already there and prepared for surgery. "Doc, did you hear…?" he began as he laid Shepard onto a gurney.

"Yes, all of it, Lieutenant. Bring the rest of them all back safely. We haven't come this far to let Shepard die now," she declared and started to strip off Shepard's armor.

"Damn right." He left the infirmary and made his way back down to the hangar bay, where Steve was impatiently waiting for him.

"Let's go, Vega. The rest of the team is waiting for extraction," Cortez commanded him.

"Already? Those ladies are fast!"

"Don't forget about the alien, too. I'm sure he had a lot to do with it."

"That dude scares the hell outta me. When we did that mission with the rachni, he went charging forward into two of those cannibals. Then he hit a ravager perfectly with his biotics." Vega jogged back into the kodiak, and Cortez immediately deployed them back down to the planet's surface.

Back in the laboratory, the remainder of the two teams finished off the mercenaries. Miranda holstered her gun and made her way over to the trigger. Williams immediately held up her hand. "Don't touch it, Lawson!"

"Why not? The scientists here said that it was affecting Toombs, causing him to hallucinate and hear voices. This device might have the potential to help us crack indoctrination," she turned and gave Ash a stern look.

"Or not. You see, _this_ is why I didn't want you on the ship." She pointed her assault rifle forward as if making a point.

"Clarify your suspicions, then, Williams."

"The Illusive Man has been messing around with Reaper tech for years; it's only up until now that his work has come to light. And didn't you quit Cerberus because you disagreed with him?"

"Correct. He tried to order me to stop Shepard from destroying the Collector Base. I had no intention of shooting the man I love. And…" she shifted upon her feet as she thought. "I could see that he didn't care about humanity as much as I'd thought. Something was causing him to lose his true vision of Cerberus."

"Do you really think that that thing would do us any good now? Do you want to save the Illusive Man or something?" Ash's tone grew disrespectful.

"Ashley," Liara's voice chided her.

"Liara, I'd appreciate it if you'd escort the scientists back to the shuttle with Javik." Williams made eye contact with her; as she noticed neither alien move, she raised her voice slightly to give a command. "_Now_."

"Aye aye," the Asari quietly responded and obeyed.

When everyone else left, Williams sheathed her assault rifle and strolled over towards Toombs' corpse. "Since I'm now the ranking officer, Lawson, we do things my way. That means we blow everything in this base to Hell. Are we clear, or will that be a problem with you?" Williams' voice was not belligerent, but it was not polite.

Miranda's sapphire eyes clashed with Ashley's chocolate irises as she pondered the matter. Williams discovered the failsafe trigger that was still intact upon Toombs' weapon belt and picked it up. Ten seconds later, Lawson finally agreed and made her way towards the exit. "You're right. I'll meet you back at the shuttle."

The explosion of the base sent a massive shockwave to the Kodiak after Williams pressed the button on the detonator. No one dared to say a word on the rest of the trip back to the Normandy.


	6. Author's Notes

Like many fans of Mass Effect, I was entirely dissatisfied with the ending of the game. However, I will not be fixing that. If they ever do that, I'll leave it up to the professionals. I was a tad disappointed with how they handled some of Miranda's role in the third game. In my opinion, they softened her up way too much and she somehow lost sight of her vision for advancing the cause of humanity. All she was concerned about was finding her sister, which is indeed understandable, but afterward, I just cannot see how she would not offer to help Shepard with more than putting a tracer bug on Kai Leng. I was also not convinced that Shepard would have let her out of his sight again so easily if he truly did love her. Anyhow, these are just my opinions, and this story is intended to reflect them. Take that for how you will, and I hope that you will enjoy reading it.

To warn you all, there are a couple of times where I use the 'f' word, but I didn't think that there should be a need for me to change the whole rating of the story just because of the use of 'f'. There is also some violence, but it's not too graphic. And the joke that Shepard and Garrus talk about is from my first posted novel "Vindication". That novel also involves some romance between Shepard and Miranda, but I didn't classify it as such because the novel includes practically the entire team of ME 2. Unfortunately, that was not an option to select.

As a gesture of kindness, I would ask that if you did not like the story, please list your reasons with a mature response if possible. You are entirely welcome to your opinion, but writing a review that bashes a character without any logical reason of my own creation is quite insulting (Shepard). He had moved on from Liara and found someone he could truly feel alive with. And if my previous novels were read, you will understand. He apologizes to both women. This story is to explore how his and Miranda's relationship had grown throughout the past year or so and give the both of them a somewhat more satisfying conclusion. I only wrote him this way to portray him as the hero who is by no means perfect. For the record, I do not dislike Ashley Williams. She will be portrayed in a more positive light as the novel goes on. Thank you in advance for everyone's reviews.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Orbit of Mavigon, Han cluster, Gemini System

Normandy SR-2 CIC, 0122h

Lt. Commander Williams strolled out of the elevator and approached Traynor. "Sorry, Specialist, I know you were about to get some shut eye, but I've got to make my report to Admiral Hackett now. You can interface us and then bug out. I'll close the channel; I just need you to establish the connection."

"Yes, ma'am. How's the Commander doing?" Samantha inquired.

"Well, we've got two doctors working on him with a fully stocked med bay," Ash said with a worried sigh. "But it's all in God's hands now."

Traynor nodded and watched the Normandy's executive officer pass through the door to the security checkpoint. "I hope he pulls through," she muttered.

When Williams came through to the vid com room, Hackett's GUI appeared. "I wasn't expecting to hear from the Normandy until much later, Williams, considering the circumstances," he said in his matter of fact tone.

"A mission debriefing is still mandatory, even if it is from the next superior officer in line, sir," she saluted him. "I apologize for the…lack of paperwork. That will come soon."

"And what did you accomplish, Lt. Commander?"

"The majority of the scientists made it out of there alive, Admiral. Armistan Banes was unfortunately killed in action."

"I thank you for all your team's hard work, Williams. When can we expect the team of scientists to arrive?"

"They're resting in crew quarters at the moment, sir, but we'll deliver them wherever you'd like in the morning."

"And Shepard?"

Williams leaned against the rail in front of her and made eye contact with the floor. "It's complicated, Admiral. He caught some heavy fire down there on Amaranthine, and Dr. Chakwas is doing everything in her power to save him."

"If need be, get him some outside help." Hackett gave her a stern look. "I don't think that I should have to remind you about how important it is for him to stay alive."

"Will do, sir." She recovered her composure and nodded.

"Good." He was about to disconnect the call, until she raised her hand.

"Admiral, if I may, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Can this wait?"

"I'll try to make it as brief as possible, sir."

"Ask away, Lt. Commander."

"Who was Armistan Banes to the Alliance? 3 years ago, after we recovered Admiral Kahoku's team from Edolus in the Artemis Tau system, we approached him for a debriefing. Then the Commander asked about Banes' involvement, and Kahoku never gave him a real answer. He only spoke about some ship that went missing, and that he had sent the marines to check it out. About a week after that, Kahoku went to follow up on them, and we found him dead at a Cerberus facility."

"Banes was an operative who turned dirty. Details about him were deeply classified because of…well…Cerberus. They were still an offshoot of the Alliance at the time. That's likely why Anderson, Dr. Chloe Michel, nor even Admiral Kahoku could give your team any more details about him," Hackett recalled.

Williams bit her lip; she was being stonewalled yet again. But wisely, she decided against pressing the matter any further. "Thank you, Admiral. I'll keep you informed of Shepard's progress and send you the mission report tomorrow morning."

"Well done, Lt. Commander. Understand that this up and coming objective at Cerberus HQ is being highly anticipated. Hackett out."

After giving him one more salute, Ash strolled out of the war room and journeyed down to the crew deck to check on the progress in the med bay. A few crew members were up and about preparing snacks for themselves; one offered a mug of tea to her, which she politely declined. She gazed through the window; neither Miranda nor Chakwas were hurrying about the infirmary as they had previously been, so that might have been a good thing.

The door to Liara's office opened; the Asari came out wearing a set of silk pajamas and she held a data pad in her hands. "Couldn't sleep, huh?" Ash inquired, still keeping her eyes peeled on the med bay.

"I tried, but then I couldn't stop thinking about the commander. And I was reminded of when…" her voice faltered. "Of when I first saw his corpse."

Ash turned her head towards Liara. "So _you_ were the one who turned him over to Cerberus."

"He didn't tell you?"

"I'm not in his inner circle of trust like some others are. I'm also getting a little worried about him. Have you seen him lately? He stares off into space, rarely sleeps for more than a few hours a night, and it's almost as if…I don't know..."

Liara's eyes traveled back to her data pad. "Cerberus was the only faction who seemed to want to help Shepard at the time, since the Alliance had declared him dead."

"Hey, well, none of us would probably be here now if you hadn't done so," Ash said with a shrug and walked towards the med bay door.

Shepard lay peacefully on the bed closest to Chakwas' bureau hooked up to an IV; a bag of blood was also present. Chakwas threw away two more empty pint bags into a medical hazardous waste bin and gave a nod to Miranda, who was busy unrolling her sleeve. "Thank you, Ms. Lawson. Can I get you something to eat?" the doctor inquired.

Lawson's eyes met Williams', and she agreed. "Perhaps some orange juice would be appreciated, thank you."

"What's our sitch like, Doctor?" Williams demanded before she could leave.

"The commander will make a full recovery, thanks to Ms. Lawson. And of course, everyone else's expedient efforts to get him quickly to me here."

"Do we need to take him to the Citadel?"

"They're too busy taking care of all the refugees, Williams," Miranda shook her head 'no'.

"I don't think that that will be necessary, Lt. Commander. We are not in a short supply of medi-gel here, although we did lack some blood for the transfusion, which is why I thanked Miranda here for her contribution first. I apologize if it came off as being dismissive towards everyone else's hard work," Chakwas commented. "I'll return in just a moment with your beverage, Miranda." She made her exit.

Ash crossed her arms defensively across her chest. "We should still go there, in case he needs any more blood. And I'm still in command of this ship now, even though Shepard's unconscious. Joker, can you chart us a course to-"

"Did Hackett tell you who Armistan Banes was?"

"Excuse me?"

"I asked if Admiral Hackett gave you an explanation about Armistan Banes."

"He might have, but I don't see how that has anything to do with-"

"Well I do know, and I'm more than happy to give you full closure about the man." Miranda slipped her fingers through her catsuit's truncated fingertips.

"Make it quick, then," Ash huffed. "I'm worn out from all the crap that's gone wrong today."

"Armistan Banes was a Cerberus operative who was responsible for causing the MSV Anixara to explode in '82. The resulting explosion killed a member of the Turian hierarchy, although the Alliance's explanation was supposedly due to 'faulty engineering'." Miranda halted her speech momentarily to brush away a stray bit of hair that had fallen into her eyes. "That was what prompted Admiral Kahoku to start looking into Cerberus on his own accord; he wasn't ordered to look into it by Admiral Hackett."

"So what're you saying?"

"If you'll remember, Hackett never commanded Shepard to follow up on those missing marines on Edolus or rescue Admiral Kahoku. He was given a lead by Kahoku, and that's why your team went down to Binthu 3 years ago to try and uncover what had become of him. The Alliance officially attributed Kahoku's death to natural causes. They were protecting their asses from the general public and Council at the time because Cerberus was still part of them."

"Knowing this might have made our jobs down on Amaranthine a little bit easier, Lawson," Ash gave her a glare. "Why didn't you tell Shepard about this?"

Miranda's brow arched upward. "Hackett also could've been honest about Banes' identity if he wanted to, but it's quite a moot point now, isn't it?"

"Then why bother to tell me any of this?"

Chakwas returned, gave Miranda the glass of juice, and exited without a word to either woman.

"Because you're still blindly trusting the Alliance as if they have all of the right answers," Miranda remarked and took a sip from her glass.

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ do?" Ash's eyes narrowed.

A groan from Shepard's bed caused both women to momentarily discontinue their verbal altercation. "Please don't fight," he spoke with a cracked voice. They both hurried to his side just in time to see him open up his brown eyes. "Hey. Would it be a pain to ask for a little bit of some water?"

"Not at all, Commander," Ash shook her head and crossed the room to fill a glass from a pitcher. Miranda located the controls at the side of the bed and levitated him. Williams came back, stuck a straw into the glass, and held it for him while he drank.

"Thanks. Now, what's all the fuss about?" he asked.

"Lawson here was just filling me in about the Alliance's cover up policies."

"In regards to what?'

"Our previous mission," Miranda informed him. "It seems that your Admiral Hackett wasn't exactly forthcoming with Mr. Armistan Banes' true identity."

"Oh, well, that's no big surprise." He motioned to Williams for another drink, and she complied while Miranda consumed some more of her own. "Hackett treated me just the same as the Illusive Man did; I was a broom and a dustpan. But he's gotten a bit more encouraging about it now at least."

"What do you mean, Commander?" Ash inquired.

"I have to admit that Hackett never asked about the report that I filed on Admiral Kahoku nor his men's disappearance. In fact, the information that I found on Cerberus three years ago had nothing to do with Hackett at all, and that's why I gave the files we recovered from all of those bases we assaulted over to the Shadow Broker's agent."

"Well, if you'll both excuse me, I'm gonna go catch some sleep now. I think I've heard enough bullshit for one night. It's good to see you're going to be okay, Shepard." She placed the glass onto Chakwas' desk and made her departure with a loud sigh.

"That woman is in complete denial," Miranda rolled her eyes and finished her juice. She exchanged her glass for the one Ashley deposited and offered some more to Shepard, who gladly accepted it.

"She just needs some time. Ash's family runs in the Alliance for the past two generations."

"Hmm, Williams…" Miranda's eyes moved about the room as she thought. "Then she'd have to be related to the general who surrendered to the Turians at Shanxi during the First Contact War."

"Yep, that was her grandfather. Her family's faced a great deal of punishment and scrutiny ever since. I'm glad that she's finally been able to advance to where she is." He yawned. "Hey, I've got some more questions for you, but they can wait until tomorrow morning."

"Of course. I'll come and visit; if you're up to it…would you like to share some breakfast?" She gave him one last drink and ran her thumb over his chin to clean up some water that had dribbled onto it.

"By all means, Ms. Lawson." His hand caught hers and kissed the back of it.

Orbit of Pietas, Fortis cluster, Minos Wasteland

Normandy SR-2 Infirmary, 0748h

"Good morning, Miranda. Would you care for some privacy with the Commander?" Chakwas questioned the Aussie as she entered with two mugs of coffee and a pair of bagels on a plate.

"Stay, Karin. But if it makes you feel uncomfortable or if we're disturbing you, just let us know," Shepard told her. Miranda set the mugs down first on a bedside tray followed by the plate.

"I know how you like your coffee, but I wasn't certain about the bagel. Are you all right with only cream cheese on it, or shall I go put some preserves upon it?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm not picky. Thanks for this, by the way. I could get used treatment like this far too easily." He shoved a good chunk into his mouth.

She sidled up next to him upon a stool and also partook of her own bagel, which was lightly buttered with a blackberry jam. "So, I have a feeling that I know what your first question of the day will be."

"Oh, do you? Well, it might not be what you think," he lifted up an eyebrow and put down his bagel.

"Try me."

"Okay, so where's my good morning kiss?"

"Probably at the bottom of your mug." Her dead-pan humor made him chuckle as he reached for his coffee.

"Guess I walked right into that one. All right, Lawson, all joking aside, since I know that you will tell me nothing but the absolute truth, spill everything you know about Banes' involvement with Cerberus." Shepard lifted the mug to his lips and took a light sip of the steamy beverage.

"About five years ago, the Alliance had made a deal with the Turians to co-develop a frigate-"

"Thanks to Cerberus' influence," Shepard interrupted her.

She put down her bagel and consumed some of her own coffee. "Yes, right. I'd forgotten that Joker had removed EDI's shackles and given you full access to all of our…I mean…their databases. So then, in 2182, plans for the original Normandy started to be drawn up with the Turians, and Cerberus secretly started to make our…" she cleared her throat and put a hand in front of her mouth to disguise a burp. "Excuse me. Cerberus secretly started to make their own ship at the same time, only better. The Turian engineering corp got word about this second ship coming out and sent one of their engineers to check out where these supplies were being sent."

He took this opportunity to shove more of the bagel into his mouth.

"They found out that the supplies were being sent to the Attican Traverse, in the Voyager cluster, specifically, and sent out the MSV Anixara with this engineer onboard to investigate. Armistan Banes was the operative whom we sent to stop the ship before the turians could find out about this, and he successfully completed his mission." Miranda swallowed some more of her coffee before continuing. "We…Cerberus had no reason to believe that he survived, since the ship was found in millions of pieces all over the system. So as the Alliance built their Normandy, so did Cerberus in '83. They didn't finish until much later, of course, because they had to monitor supply chains a bit more carefully and so on."

"When did you find out about this second Normandy?"

"About the same time that you regained consciousness during the end of the Lazarus project. I knew about Banes' mission at the time, but I had no idea what we were doing with the supplies and so forth. I wasn't even aware of what the supplies were, either, nor did I have access to them."

"Uh-huh. More plausible deniability?"

"Well, to be fair, I did have my hands full with other things at the time, so the Illusive Man didn't burden me with it," she shrugged and retrieved the remainder of her bagel from the plate. "Shepard, about what happened on Akuze…"

"Yes?"

"I read over your report to Hackett from three years ago. What the scientists did to Toombs was just as wrong as what my father was doing on Sanctuary. I apologize if it sounded as if I was siding with Dr. Wayne."

"So if you'd been at that facility instead, would you have let them continue their experiments?"

"If he'd volunteered for it, possibly," she shrugged. "But since the Alliance marines were duped into the project like the refugees on Horizon…no. That's an entirely different matter."

The med bay door opened, and in walked Oriana with a data pad in her hands.

"Morning, 'Randa. Morning, Commander," she nodded. "Morning, Dr. Chakwas." When all three had finished greeting her, she came closer to the bed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but something's come up, and I need your help, Commander," Oriana confessed.

"What can I do?" he asked and drank some more of his coffee.

"If it's possible, could the Normandy please drop me off at the Citadel or any other major port, please? I'd like to be able to catch a transport to Freedom's Progress since I can't get in touch with the colony."

Miranda's expression instantly darkened as if her favorite shoes had been destroyed in the mud. "Absolutely not, Ori," she shook her head. "If the colony's gone silent, then that means that the Reapers have taken over that area."

"But what about Horizon? They were blocking all communication signals to ensure that the Reapers didn't come there. Maybe Freedom's Progress is doing the same thing," Oriana argued and pointed to her data pad.

"I think that it might be possible for the Normandy to make a quick pass through the system to see if the colony's truly gone silent because of the Reapers or for some other reason," Shepard nodded through his mug as he finished his beverage. "But there won't be any landing parties or shuttles deployed until the truth is out."

"Thank you, Commander." Oriana spun around and left the med bay as quickly as she'd come.

Miranda gave him a sour look. "You shouldn't put the Normandy at risk like this, Shepard."

He shrugged. "I just told her what she wanted to hear, Miranda. We're not going to truly divert our time or resources for a mopey teenager, even if it is your sister. When Oriana comes to ask about it later, I'll just say that the Reapers came, and that we won't be able to send out a shuttle to recover anyone."

She arose and collected the dishes from the bedside tray. "I'd rather you tell her the truth, Shepard. You wouldn't lie to me, so don't you dare do the same to her." With that, she disappeared from the infirmary.

Normandy SR-2 Port Observatory Room, 1016h

Garrus and James sat across from one another on opposite sides of the room as Ashley entered with two steaming hot tall mugs of coffee. She placed one of them onto a table next to Vega and joined Garrus on the couch. "Hey, you two, mind if I join you for a coffee break?" she asked.

"After you bring a peace offering for taking me out of the action yesterday, how can I refuse?" Vega picked up his coffee and lifted it up in her direction.

"I wasn't about to order Javik to go heave someone he's barely known for more than three or four months onto his shoulders. Besides, you wear heavy armor, Vega. You were the best choice." She paused and blew off some steam from her drink. "What were you two talking about?"

"Oh, this and that. We've been sharing some old war stories with one another," Garrus chuckled. "Ash was with us when we stopped Saren from letting Sovereign and the rest of his friends invade the galaxy." He rotated his torso towards her. "And if I remember this correctly, you were there with me and Shepard when we faced him down in the Citadel tower, weren't you?"

"Yep, that was me. I wish our fight were that simple this time," Ash remarked and shook her head. "Now we've got to trust people that were fighting against us before or against one another."

"Hmm…never a dull moment," Garrus mused and nodded. "I got an email from Wrex the other day, and he sends his warmest regards to you, Ash."

"Whoever would have thought that he'd be leading millions of krogan?"

"Yeah. I've got the feeling that you've uh, what's that human expression 'got something on your chest' to talk about?" He relaxed his length arm across the back of the couch.

"Get something off of your chest, Scars," Vega interjected.

"Close enough. Well, I'm not too crazy about this Miranda Lawson, to be honest. And James, I'm sure you feel the same way." She made eye contact with him.

"Hey, I certainly can appreciate the new scenery, Mommy, but you're right. I don't trust Legs at all."

"Yeah. I think Shepard's judgment is getting clouded because of her." She leaned forward and rubbed her hands over one another.

"I used to think the same way, back when this ship belonged to Cerberus," Garrus told them. "But, Shepard changed Miranda for the better, and she actually became a bit more of a team player. The woman you see now is not the same woman I met when I first came aboard this ship about a year ago." He pointed outside the observatory with a wide finger.

"Really?"

"Also, have you noticed how much lighter the mood has gotten around here? That's because Shepard's happy. A happy superior means happier underlings."

"You've got a point there, Scars," Vega agreed. "But she's so aloof. She won't talk to anybody but Shepard and her sister. Wait, hang on a second, I think she said hello to me and Esteban _once_. And that was when she had to come down to the armory to get Shepard's armor fixed."

"Don't get me wrong, Vega, I still don't like her as a person." Garrus lifted one hand up by the wrist towards the ceiling to make his point. "But she still makes a good match for Shepard. Believe you me, I think he could use some of that happiness, especially after what just happened on Thessia."

"Garrus, did you have any doubts that Shepard had been changed by Cerberus?" Ash inquired.

"Yes, I certainly did, at first. However, when we went to Tuchanka to go investigate the disappearance of a colleague of Mordin Solus', that was when I knew that Shepard was who he said he was. He berated Mordin for working on the genophage modification project all throughout the mission, he yelled at a lost krogan scout who'd been abused during this psycho's crazy experiments and got him back up on his feet. And when we got to the end of the mission, he stopped Mordin from killing his old colleague."

"I'm guessing that that was the Maelon fella that Mordin was talking about?" Vega asked. "He was trying to cure the genophage, too?"

"Yes, and the tests that he was performing were absolutely barbaric. But if Shepard had truly been under Cerberus' control, he wouldn't have cared less about saving the data for the cure. He insisted that Mordin save it. Cerberus could certainly have cared less about curing the krogan genophage."

"That became pretty obvious on Sur'Kesh," James agreed.

"The next point I'm going to bring up is a little bit more personal," Garrus recollected. "After we stopped Saren on the Citadel, I tried to train as a Spectre. But there was too much red tape, and I just felt so useless there. So I went to Omega, got a team of vigilantes together, and that was the birth of Archangel."

"That was you?" Ash laughed and punched him in the arm. "I was wondering about that."

"Hmm, well, it all fell to pieces eventually after one of my team mates betrayed me. That bastard got my entire team slaughtered while I was out on a goose chase. I tracked him down eventually with Shepard's help, and he nearly talked me down from repaying the debt I owed to my men."

"Nearly? What happened?"

"Shepard saw how Sidonis wasn't really alive anymore. He described how food had no taste in his mouth and that he rarely slept at night. So, Shepard decided to do the man a favor and put an end to his misery." Garrus' mandibles twitched erratically together as he thought for a moment. "Although I don't usually converse with EDI too much, she once explained something to me just before we went through the Omega 4 relay. I must have been bitching about Miranda in the batteries to myself or something, because she brought up a good point. Lawson was the ranking Cerberus officer on this ship then, and the Normandy as well as the entire crew was all considered part of her cell at the time."

"Cell, what is that, like a unit or something?" Vega wondered.

"I think so. EDI called us all the 'Lazarus cell', and apparently, Lawson could have usurped Shepard's authority at _any_ time or overridden any decision that he made, but she didn't."

"She didn't?" Ash's eyebrow arched as she drank some of her coffee.

"No, not at all. I also remember hearing advice that Miranda would give to Shepard constantly like he was some goddamned rookie, but even when he didn't follow it, she never stopped him. Even when he brought Legion aboard and kept him instead of handing him over to Cerberus as she suggested."

"Damn, I can only imagine what the hell could have happened if he'd done that," Vega shook his head and consumed some more of his own coffee. "The Normandy's one helluva freak show. Geth, krogan, quarians, asari, turians…"

"Yeah, we'd be in a shit load more of trouble, that's for sure," Ash nodded.

The observatory door opened, and Dr. Chakwas entered. "Hello, everyone. I wonder if I could steal the Lt. Commander away from this conversation for just a bit," she greeted the room's occupants.

"Uh-oh. Well, whatever it is, I didn't do it," the Alliance soldier held up her hands with a crooked smile and got up from the couch.

"The commander has asked to speak with you privately."

"Oh. Sure. Would it bother you if I brought this in with me?" She pointed to her half-filled mug of coffee, and Chakwas nodded.

"Not at all, Lt. Commander. He's alone in there, by the way. Neither of you should be interrupted for a while." After she left, Vega lifted up his mug.

"Hey, Doc, you wanna join us for a drink tonight later on?"

"No, I'd rather not, Lieutenant, but thank you for your offer. I remember how massive the Lt. Commander's headache was after consuming an entire bottle of your mescal." She was about to turn upon her heel and leave until Vega reached out a hand to stop her.

"Do you _ever_ relax, Doc?"

"Yes, I do. I had a quiet drink with Shepard…twice, in fact," she responded and this time was able to leave.

Garrus and Vega exchanged quizzical glances. "When did that happen?" the turian wondered.

"And why weren't we invited?" Vega demanded with a huff


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Normandy SR-2 Medical Bay, 1041h

"Hey, Ash," Shepard greeted his executive officer as she strolled inside. When he noticed the mug of coffee that she brought with her, his eyebrow lifted. "Is that for me?"

"Uh…" A guilty expression came over her face, and she set it down onto Chakwas' desk. "I'll be right back." She was about to spin around and leave the infirmary, but he shook his head 'no'.

"Relax, Ash. I've had enough this morning."

"Good." She beamed with relief and retrieved her beverage to sip it.

"First of all, let me say how hard I know that it's been for you in the past few days. Hell, it hasn't been easy since we ended up pointing guns at one another on the Citadel," he mused. "But I wanted to thank you for your understanding, and…your restraint."

"I've already lost track of how many times my fist has wanted to crack her with a big one right across that perfect mug of hers," Ash grumbled.

"Remind me to tell you about her and Jack," Shepard declared with a grin.

"Well, just to let you know, Commander, after talking to Garrus…I've had some second thoughts about Lawson. Some better ones, at least."

"How'd you like leading the squad down on Amaranthine?"

"It felt good, sir. Thanks for the opportunity; it really shows how much we've come to trust one another over the years."

"Would you like to possibly do it again after I'm on my feet and back to 100%? We'll be hitting Cerberus HQ ASAP. Alliance Command isn't the only one getting antsy about it, you know," Shepard shifted underneath his top sheet.

"Yeah, it's time for some payback. Has Dr. Chakwas given you a time estimate on your recovery?" She took one final drink from her mug and finished the coffee.

"Well, I've been given permission to finally leave this prison this afternoon," he glanced around him and groaned. "But I won't be ready to fight for probably another two or three days. So in the meanwhile, we'll just have to keep hunting for supplies, survivors, salvage, and any more straggling allied forces on or orbiting uncharted planets."

"I sent a mission report to Admiral Hackett already this morning, Commander. I hope you don't mind my doing it," Williams announced and shifted around upon one foot to another nervously. "I know that it wasn't exactly a mission objective, but I also destroyed the complex. It's officially another crater on the planet now."

"You did, huh? Well, then, we won't have to worry about more Reaper tech screwing with anyone else's mind. I'm just sorry that Toombs had to suffer…again." He shrugged it off. "And much obliged, LT, I hate paperwork. Now, what's your decision?"

"Sir?"

"About the Illusive Man's base…you leading a second team…-"

"Shepard, there is something I'd like to interject before this conversation goes any further," EDI's synthesized voice came over the P.A.

"Just for once, could I have a private conversation, please, EDI?" he moaned.

"I am truly sorry, Shepard, but I would not interrupt you for something insignificant. You are discussing tactics for your assault upon Cronos Station, and this is a paramount matter."

"Tell me what's on your mind, EDI."

"Since I was created by Cerberus and am aware of all protocols, it would be highly logical for me to accompany you on this mission. I also have extensive knowledge of Cronos Station's defenses in my databases. Sending two teams with two former Cerberus team members would give us a significant tactical advantage that you cannot afford to lose."

"That's a no-brainer, EDI. If the LT says yes, it's a plan. Thanks for the interruption…for once," he mumbled the last two words.

"You are welcome, Shepard."

His gaze turned to Williams. "So, what's it gonna be, Ash?"

"I need a little bit of time to think this over, sir. I promise that if I have my mind made up either when I see you in person or not, that I'll send you an email with my answer."

"Okay, I can wait," he nodded and watched her leave.

Chakwas re-appeared, activated her omni-tool, and approached Shepard. As she swept it over his body, she gave him a nod of approval. "You're in relatively good form, Shepard, and it's a good thing that you made that deal with Tactus on the Citadel last month. Our medi-gel efficiency has been vastly improved, and it's only because of that upgrade that you can walk out of here this afternoon."

"So when can I get back into action?"

Her lips pursed and she shook her head. "I'm not going back on my word, Commander. Three days with no heavier duties than cleaning your guns or re-stocking your armor's supply of medi-gel. And should you get any ideas, Ms. Lawson's already been informed of your situation."

"Oh has she? Well, then…the wheels are already turning," he said with a juvenile grin. "And they involve two words: sponge bath."

"Whereas I can laugh, I can only pray that she would find some amusement from that particular joke," Chakwas snorted and sat back down at her desk.

Orbit of Pragia, Osun system, Hourglass Nebula

Normandy SR-2 Crew Deck, Liara's Office, 1742h

The ten foot wall of monitors that could swivel and track the user's movements was directed at Liara's bed where she presently sat as Shepard entered the room. She held a stalk of celery in one hand and a data pad in the other. "Hello, Shepard," she greeted him without looking away.

"You are one goddamned workaholic, Liara," he told her and came closer. "I don't remember the last time I've seen you eat in the mess with everyone else."

"Remember those solitary dig sites that I used to work on? Well, _that_ hasn't changed about me in the last few years." She inserted one end of the celery into her mouth and bit down upon it.

"You know, I've never actually asked you about it, but I think that I will now." That drew her attention away from the data pad. "Does eating fruits and vegetables make us biotics able to focus any better before a fight?"

"There have been some studies that have positively concluded it, yes," she agreed. "But I love the taste of celery, and it's been about a week since I've had any."

"Some cream cheese would make that taste a helluva lot better." Shepard folded his arms across his chest.

"Cream cheese?"

"You don't have cows on Thessia?"

"We most certainly do, but what does that have to do with…oh, does this come from the cow's milk?" she gave him a puzzled eyebrow and finished her celery.

"Hell, yeah. In fact, I know for a fact that there's a decent supply of it in the refrigerator. When I saw it on sale last time on the Citadel, I almost bought a gross of it," he confessed. "And the good stuff, too-low fat cream cheese is disgusting. While I was growing up on Mindoir, my mom had this _amazing_ cheese cake recipe that also used sour cream in it and…." He noticed that she had gone back to work. "Have I been rambling on again?"

"I'm listening to you, Shepard. There's just so much for me to do here that I can't take a break right now," she said with a sigh. "Would you care to sit down?"

Shepard strolled over to the vacant rolling chair near her workstation and did so. "Thanks. I've got a favor to ask of you, but it can wait if you're in the middle of something truly important."

"What is it?" the Asari tore her eyes away from the data pad briefly.

"I'd like to get some intel from you, about Oriana Lawson's boyfriend, if possible. He was living on Freedom's Progress."

"Hmm…I think one of my agents has been there." She tapped her fingers onto her chin, cast the data pad onto the bed, and arose to go to the terminal in front of the wall of monitors.

"Really, Liara, it can wait…"

"This task will likely take me two minutes or less, Shepard." Liara's head turned towards him as she spoke. "I can certainly spare it for her. And you," she murmured the last two words and returned her concentration to the holo key pad.

"Would it be rude of me to ask a question about our past? Or is doing that considered impolite in Asari culture?"

"Well, if you had sided with Joker about his frivolous question, I would be less inclined to talk about it," her eyes darted towards his and then back to the terminal.

"When we were together that night before Illos, did you," he looked upward to the ceiling as he tried to word his question carefully. "Did you see what happened to my family on Mindoir?"

"Not in those moments, no. But afterward, when we both fell asleep…let's just say that you were the one to do so first." She instinctively ran her tongue over her lips.

"For someone who never actually, uh, well…" He let the sentence trail off and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."

"It's quite all right. It was a long time ago," Liara said with a wistful smile.

The awkward moment was broken by Glyph, who chirped positively, and floated around her shoulders to face her. "I've found something, Dr. T'soni."

"Excellent. I knew I was right." Her face brightened; her beam disappeared just as quickly as it had come as her eyes sped over the report.

"What happened?" Shepard demanded and leaned forward upon the elbow rests.

"The colony was…wiped out by Cerberus, Shepard. It was a similar circumstance as to what occurred on Benning." Liara spun around to face him with a morbid frown. "The citizens had a choice to go to Sanctuary or else."

"What? When did this-"

"I know, I know. It happened while you were on Rannoch aiming that syncing laser at the Reaper destroyer; so you couldn't have helped them even if you had wanted to, Shepard."

He got up and balled up his fists.

"There's more. The Alliance had no resources to allocate to Freedom's Progress at the time; my agents made an effort to search for survivors, but unfortunately, there were none present. I'm guessing that the remainder of the colonists who weren't there were taken to Sanctuary," Liara quietly finished. "I'm sorry, Shepard."

It took all the inner strength that he had not to ram one of his fists into one of the servers next to him. "Thank you, Liara," he returned softly and trudged out of her office.

Normandy SR-2 Crew Deck, Port Observatory, 2107h

The ambient soft jazzy music that had been playing was now an upbeat house track, but it was thankfully at a low volume. Otherwise, Javik would have turned right around and left as soon as he came. He ignored the inebriated quarian that was sipping her drink and strolled towards the window. "Javik vas Normandy, wanna join me?" she slurred as she turned her head.

"I prefer to be cognizant of my environment, Quarian. The view from this window is somewhat calming," the Prothean responded without looking at her. "Why have you been consuming drink that dulls your senses?"

"Why not? If life on this ship gets any crazier, I think I might just have to permanently install one of these bottles onto my environmental suit to deal with it all." She lifted the glass upward and brought the straw back to her helmet's opening.

"And your commander would not approve of such dangerous behavior. Why did you leave your home world and the rest of your kind?" He crossed his arms.

"I wanted to help Shepard. And I was just joking about the alcohol; I'll be back to work in the ECR in the morning."

"You are in a state of emotional distress. Why?"

"Well, maybe it's because of the appearance of a certain bosh'tet from Cerberus. And…another crew member from before…Jack…she called her a certain word. What was it? Ah, a Cerberus cheerleader."

"There was a mission that involved this crew member Jack; I met her. And I have been to the ship's lower levels where she resided. There was much hostility in her; she was a prisoner of this Cerberus. Did they do the same to you as well?" Javik finally glanced in her direction.

"No. They attacked one of our ships once; I was away from the Fleet at the time. But I still don't like the cheerleader."

"What is a cheerleader?"

"I…uh…" she sipped more of her drink and shifted around upon the stool vicariously. "It's a person that encourages or supports a team or organization. That was Miranda. She was the second in charge here on this ship before."

"The human female who had deep genetic artificial modifications," he nodded. "I have felt her presence, even before she came back." He rubbed his fingers together as if he were testing a substance that he had come into contact with. "She has a strong will and a dominating personality. Those are two good qualities for a leader."

"I don't care; I still hate her," Tali's head lifted up from the glass. "She's rude, dismissive, and haughty." She paused to think for a moment. "But she stopped her father from completing his horrible experiments, unlike me."

"In this war, it is unacceptable to disrespect the work of another colleague, especially if it turns the tide toward a potential victory," Javik sneered and crossed his arms.

"I _do_ respect her, though. I just don't like her. My father was…somewhat…like hers. But I always wanted to please him. She never did to my knowledge."

"Do not let your feelings compromise your judgment, Quarian. There is much work to be done in preparation for your up and coming battle with the Reapers. Sitting here and dwelling upon your past is self destructive."

"Do you always have to be so harsh?" she whined. "Didn't you Protheans ever sit down to drink in your cycle?"

"The ones who did were either killed by the Reapers due to a lack of being aware of their surroundings or died by their own hands due to despair. I will not allow the Reapers to inflict that damage to my body. Do not allow yourself to walk down that path, Quarian."

"You know, I think, in a way, that was an example of back-handed encouragement. Thank you." Tali raised the glass towards him. "Keelah sa lai."

He made a simple bow of his head in return. "It was not, but you may consider it as such."

"So, what else do you think about the cheerleader?"

"That name is inappropriate; she no longer sanctions this Cerberus organization. If you feel that it strengthens your self-esteem, you should select another insult."

"Well, James calls her 'Legs', but I don't think that that's a total ridicule. And you didn't answer my question." Her arm wobbled as she tried to find the bar behind her, and Javik stepped towards her to help. He seized the glass from her hand and steadied her.

"What I think does and should not matter to you, Quarian. I have said this to the Commander many times. You are all too concerned over everyone else's opinions."

"But-"

"I came to this room to find some 'peace of mind' but instead I have been forced to keep you conscious and away from harm." The Prothean removed his grip from her arm as if he were touching a dirty object, and his four eyes narrowed. "Do not become a liability in my presence again." He coldly stormed out of the observatory.

"Bosh'tet," Tali mumbled to herself and rested her head upon the bar.

Orbit of Eletania, Hercules cluster, Attican Beta System

Normandy SR-2 Crew Deck, Crew Quarters, 2208h

Miranda brushed past one of the ensigns on his way out, who gave her a second glance but said nothing. Oriana sat at the table deep in conversation with Specialist Traynor, who was teaching her some new concepts and illustrating how they worked with a data pad. She glanced up as she heard the door open and gave her a beam. "Hey, 'Randa. What's up?"

"Nothing much, I just came to say hi. But if you two are in the middle of something, I can come back later," the Aussie said and took a step backward.

"Oh, no, I've been prattling on for far too long about long range data streams. I'm the one who should be off and on my way. I believe that there's a container of yoghurt in the refrigerator who's been calling my name for the last ten minutes," Traynor dismissively waived her hand and let the data pad fall onto the table. She arose from her chair, and Miranda claimed it as soon as she left the room.

"You two seem to be getting along splendidly," Miranda stated with a genuine smile. "I was a bit worried at first if anyone would…well, if anyone would even speak to you because of me."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you worked for Cerberus? Were you trying to protect me?"

"Yes. When I hid you away the second time, I didn't even want to use the private investigator that Cerberus had hired to follow you, but the Illusive Man insisted upon it. I wanted to hire one my own, but I simply just didn't have the time to track one down then." She scoffed at herself. "Things could have turned out a bit differently if that had happened."

"Could they? Father still would have tracked me down somehow. He's relentless. And cruel. 'Randa, are you really sure that he's our father?"

Miranda shook her head and sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, yes, he was. Henry Lawson owned a large conglomerate of defense contracting companies located in Melbourne, Australia, back on Earth. I'll probably end up having to deal with his estate sooner or later. All his fortune is probably mired up in fake dummy charity corporations, so that the government wouldn't be able to truly track down all of his assets or claim any of them."

"People who do that make me sick," Oriana bristled. "Maybe after we win this war, we could use some of his riches to help build new colonies?"

"One thing at a time, Ori." Miranda tapped her sister's hand and stroked it affectionately. "But that sounds like a great idea to me. Remind me again later."

"I will. So…" her fingers squeezed Miranda's. "How's Shepard?"

"He'll be just fine in a couple of days. And it'll be up to me to ensure that he doesn't do any hard physical labor. That job, in itself, will be a challenge."

"I hope that the two of you will really be happy. Did you really rebuild him piece by piece? One of the engineers here told me that he died when the Collectors hit their ship in a surprise attack," Oriana recollected. "And that this ship is a copy of the original Normandy."

"Yes, well, I had a full staff to do that." Miranda reclaimed her hand and bit her lip. "And I lost them all thanks to a traitor. I should have seen that one coming from a mile away. He was always griping about his salary, or the fact that I didn't compliment his _every_ breakthrough, or-"

"What happened?"

"It's a long story, but slightly after Shepard regained consciousness, my chief medical tech Wilson tried to sabotage our base of operations as well as kill him." She paused as she recalled the events and narrowed her eyes. "That was the second attempt, actually. If I hadn't been present in that med bay, he probably would have succeeded the first time around."

"So then what happened?"

"Later that night after I fixed Wilson's blunder, I went back to my office to finish up a report to the Illusive Man. I had my suspicions then, but they were immediately confirmed as soon as I heard gunfire coming from the security wing. All of the light mechs had been hacked and were killing everyone. So I woke Shepard up, informed him of the dire situation, and contained the matter with his help. My lieutenant Jacob Taylor was also very instrumental in our survival."

"And what happened to your chief medical tech?"

"I took care of him before he could escape or cause any more harm to Shepard," she shrugged. "To say the least, I wasn't all that shocked to see Shepard holding a gun at me. I did just shoot someone who had supposedly been helping him at point blank range."

"I'm glad that that bastard got his just desserts. Do you think that he was a double agent?"

"Mmm, yes, he was likely a mole hired by the Shadow Broker to infiltrate our ranks within the Lazarus cell," Miranda nodded. "The Shadow Broker had come into possession of Shepard's body before Cerberus did, and thankfully due to Dr. T'soni's assistance, we were able to recover it. He was going to trade it over to the Collectors. There was a lot of collateral damage, though. Neither party walked away from that mission without losses; so the Shadow Broker found another way to get Shepard back."

"I've noticed the way that she looks at Shepard whenever she's around him. Did they have something going on in between the two of them before?"

The Aussie rolled her eyes. "Yes. She's had an attachment to him for a while, and they did end their relationship. But you're right. I can see it as well."

"Does she know that you know?"

"It doesn't matter, Ori. What _does_ matter is that he's fully invested in the two of us, and probably wants to stay together after we defeat the Reapers."

"That's so romantic," she gushed and smiled. Oriana gazed upon the data pad. "Oh, look at the time. I should probably try and see once more if Danner's online. It couldn't hurt, could it?"

"Don't give up hope, Ori. We'll talk again." Miranda patted her on the shoulder, arose, and left the room.

Two days later, Normandy SR-2, Shepard's Quarters, 1906h

Shepard was relieved to hear the sound of the shower running as he wandered back into his cabin. He shuffled about the room and tried to busy himself by tidying it up or finding an appropriate playlist of music on his stereo. He even tried to stare at the fish for a few minutes. But nothing seemed to settle his jitters, so finally, he picked up a clean high ball glass from his night stand and opened a drawer in his desk to pull out a bottle of Crown Royal whiskey. Without even bothering to fill up up the glass with ice, he poured himself a straight shot and drank it down seconds later. The decision to have the next one was instantaneous, and so was the third. He stopped himself from filling up the glass again and set the bottle down.

How in the hell could he break the news to Oriana? Or even Miranda, for that matter? The past two days had been awkward; very little conversation had been actually shared between the two of them. He kept himself occupied with calls to diplomats and generals as well as another invasive interview with Diana Allers. Miranda helped sort out the Crucible's supply chains with Liara and spent some social time with her sister. Would Liara have told her about Freedom's Progress? No, Liara respected the two of them. As much as she had longed to continue her relationship with Shepard, she knew that she could never truly satisfy him like Miranda could.

A part of him was extremely tempted to open the bathroom door and join Miranda, but he decided against it and took out a woman's silk robe from his closet instead. When he strolled back up the steps, the steam poured freely out of the bathroom as she did indeed open the door. The water was still running.

"I thought that I heard someone skulking about in here," she said and poked her head out. "I never thought that I'd have to resort to actually asking you to join me, but-" Miranda stopped herself as she noticed the bottle sitting upon his desk next to the private terminal. She went back into the bathroom, turned off the shower, and began to towel herself off.

He watched her while she had her back turned to him, but then when she faced him, he averted his eyes and outstretched his hand to give her the robe. Seconds later, she did indeed accept it from him, and padded into the bedroom. She kept a towel with her and began to dry her hair. "What's wrong, Shepard? You've been extremely distant for the past two days."

_We are eternal, the pinnacle of all evolution and its existence. We have no beginning, we have no end. We are infinite._

"I…I…um…have something to tell you," he admitted and leaned upon his chair.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's about…" His thoughts were so conflicted now that he was really starting to lose his nerve to even talk to her. "It's about…the assault on Cronos Station. I've…moved it up to tomorrow morning."

"I see." She wrapped the towel around her head. "Who's coming with us?"

_You don't understand, Shepard. There is a place for organics in the new order. The Reapers need men and women of action, people like us._ Saren's haunting voice whispered to him. _Sovereign recognizes your value; you've impressed it. Surrender to the Reapers and you will be spared. Join us, and we can find a place for you._

"Shepard?" Miranda touched his shoulder. "Who's coming with us?"

"Uh, well, EDI, for one. And I asked Ash if she would mind taking a second team there, you know, just in case I screw up," he replied and exhaled through with mouth. "Do you still feel up to it?"

"Of course, why not?"

"You may want to take Oriana and go. I…I want you here, but neither of you may want to stay when…well, after you hear what I have to tell you." He turned around, and his face wrinkled into despair as he tried to look at her in the eyes. When he finally did, he turned his head away when she attempted to run her fingers through his hair. Shepard poured himself another shot.

"Isn't it fair to let me decide that?" she inquired gently.

With one final heavy sigh, he agreed. "Yes. I went to Liara after I left the med bay two days ago, to see if I could find out about Freedom's Progress."

"Well, she obviously did uncover some intel. Was it bad?"

He silently nodded. "Everyone was either gunned down or taken to Sanctuary. Yet another group of poor colonists I couldn't help."

"You know, Shepard, you aren't the only one to carry that burden." Miranda watched him pick up the bottle as well as the glass and make his way down the stairs to his couch. "There were some of my fellow colleagues that wanted out of Cerberus but never had the chance. I couldn't go help them because I had to follow the leads concerning Father's work."

"I had a feeling that there were more."

"One of them was a mentor of mine, a man who had helped me get to where I was in Cerberus when you and I met. His name was Charon and was my first case handler." She joined him on the couch and crossed her legs. "Naturally, that wasn't his real name. Like the Illusive Man, I still have no clue what it is."

"Where was he stationed?"

She gave short laugh through her nose. "Last time I heard, he was aboard Cerberus' Highlander Station, but who knows now?"

"Did he ask for your help?"

"Not directly, no. But he noticed what had begun to happen to Cerberus scientists who had completed their work on the Collector projects. Then he also saw evidence of the indoctrinated troops first hand; I can only hope that he escaped somehow."

"Yeah, well, if he's the one who trained you, then I'd bet that he'd have at least blown up the station into nothing."

"Thank you, Shepard, for taking the time to find out about Freedom's Progress. I'll be sure to thank T'soni as well for her help." Miranda reached for his hand and covered it with hers.

"Are you going to tell your sister about this?"

"I'll wait until we've destroyed Cronos Station. I don't want Oriana distracted or worried about my safety. Losing a boyfriend is difficult enough."

He eyed the shot that he had poured earlier, picked it up, and was about to consume it until she seized it herself and did so. As the hard alcohol hit the back of her throat, she exhaled deeply. Shepard reached for the bottle on the table and motioned towards her for the confiscated glass, but Miranda shook her head 'no'. With little more than a twirl from her fingers, a blue projectile launched itself at the whiskey, and the Crown Royal went soaring into the stereo. The bottle shattered into no fewer than one hundred pieces. "If we're truly going to strike the Illusive Man's base tomorrow and we don't make it out alive, I don't want you numb tonight. Don't you want to remember it? I know that I do."

The corners of her mouth pulled away to give him a seductive leer.

"We won't fail," Shepard stated and unabashedly made eye contact with her. "And we're coming back alive. I plan on carving my initials into Kai Leng's dead forehead with my shotgun's bayonet."

She arose, set the glass onto the table, and undid the tie from her robe. "Now that's the stubborn ass I fell in love with. I had wondered where you'd gone." The robe partially opened as she sauntered closer to him.

His eyes practically devoured her, and his olfactory senses were driving him wild as he inhaled the scent of cherry blossoms that were emanating from her body. "Damn, woman, you're intoxicating." Something about her tonight stirred his primal urges more than usual. "I must be the luckiest man in the galaxy." He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

With one final derisive snort, she bent down even closer to him and came dangerously close to his lips. "Is that truly the best you can do, Commander?" she whispered and reclaimed her hand as he let go.

"Not a chance." He closed the centimeters between their mouths, wrapped his body around hers, and suddenly charged the both of them onto the bed. She activated her implants, and one of her knees gingerly nudged his groin. Just as his tongue was about to enter her mouth, he grunted with pleasure. She took advantage of this moment to force her tongue into his instead and continued to assault his nether regions. One of her hands soon replaced where her knee had been, and that leg snaked itself around his hip.

"Nn…not…so…hard there, Jesus, Miranda!" he exclaimed and tore himself away from her lips and began to pant. "I…won't be able to…last…-"

"Hmm…you are wearing _far_ too much clothing for my taste, Commander." Miranda halted her torture and seized hold of his belt buckle.

"Shepard, is this a bad time?" Ash's voice came over the intercom.

"Well…you could say that," he returned and watched his former XO's hands strip him of his belt in less than five seconds. Suddenly, the belt flew across the room and crashed into the holo screen near his desk.

"What the hell was that?"

"Nothing, everything's fine."

Miranda chortled and yanked him back to her lips. "Say that _now_," she stated in between kisses. "You'll change your tune in approximately thirty seconds."

"Ha, well all righty, then, Shepard. I just wanted to let you know that I've made my decision, and the answer is a hell yes." She paused for a moment as she heard a few more of his groans. "I think I'll let Ms. Lawson get back to calibrating your weapon.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Orbit of Noveria, Pax cluster, Horse Head Nebula

Normandy SR-2 War Room, 0902h

Neither Alliance private batted an eyelid this time as Shepard escorted Miranda through the scanner. After they both passed inspection, his hand moved to the small of her back, and they joined Liara, James, and Ash. "Thank you in advance, EDI, for the graphical representations that will be used in this briefing," Shepard said and lifted his head to the ceiling speaker.

"These images may not entirely be accurate, Shepard. The Illusive Man may have changed the layout of Cronos Station since I officially broke the Normandy's connection from the servers," the AI warned him.

"That's unlikely. He devoted much of Cerberus' resources to building an army of loyal subjects as well as of course, the study of the remnants of the Collector base," Miranda disagreed and folded her hands behind her back. "The Illusive Man is cautious indeed, which is why Cronos Station is mobile. But he's also overconfident, which we can exploit to our advantage. I highly suggest that both parties bring breather masks and/or helmets, whichever you prefer, due to some security measures that Cerberus has in place on the station."

"Our first objective will be to secure the main hangar here," Shepard announced and highlighted a point on the rotating image. "That team will include Liara, EDI, and myself, otherwise known as alpha team. The other team will be composed of Ash, James, and Miranda-let's call them omega team. Omega team will secure the western hangar, and then your mission will be to accumulate as much Cerberus research and technology as you possibly can. Alpha team will be running Shepard's famous cleaning service and mopping up the floor with as many Cerberus troops as possible on the way to get that VI."

"The Prothean VI will likely be within the central lab or the Illusive Man's office," EDI told them all.

"It's time for some major payback. Let's do this, Commander," James enthused.

The holo images from the interior of Cronos Station transmogrified into the exterior, along with several Alliance cruisers in orbit. "Fifth fleet, we are a go. I don't want to see one goddamned Cerberus ship intact. Shoot to kill; we're not here to salvage their fleet. Decimate everything in sight!" Admiral Hackett's voice came in over the ship's P.A. system. "Normandy, you may begin your infiltration when ready."

"Yes, sir. We only have to make our last FTL jump to the Anadius system. Our ETA is approximately ten minutes. Gear up and get down to the shuttle, people," Shepard ordered the teams.

After he suited up, Shepard made his way up to the bridge. "How close can we get, Joker?"

"We've got a foothold, thanks to the Fifth Fleet, but there's a very narrow window of time for the shuttle to get to both hangar bays," the pilot stated.

"Can you do it?"

"Hey, I got us through Ilos' thin atmosphere at a twenty degree descent angle and didn't burn us to a crisp so that you could drop into that jungle practically on top of Saren with the Mako. _This _is a cinch compared to that."

"Excellent. You ready to go, EDI?" he inquired to the synthetic body sitting beside Joker.

"Yes. I was adjusting some of the software related to this body's optics," she pointed to herself. "It is now possible for me to be able to detect heat signatures, even through obstructions such as a wall."

"You mean that you've got infrared sensors in your eyes?"

"Hang on a second. You're taking her with you?" Joker's head snapped towards Shepard as EDI arose from her chair. "You can't go down there! What if Cerberus has got some kind of virus or kill switch or…-"

"You mustn't worry about this platform, Jeff. Remember, I still exist within the Normandy," EDI responded serenely. "And to answer your previous question, Shepard, yes, I do. I will also be able to detect bodies even through the smoke grenades that centurions utilize." She left, and Shepard tapped Joker on the arm.

"Yeah, well, it's not quite the same thing."

"I'm sorry, Joker. I know you don't want her down there, but, she wanted to go."

"Thanks for rubbing that in, by the way," Joker's face wrinkled. "And Shepard…take care of her."

"You as well. We'll be back in a jiffy." He gave him a wink.

Cronos Station Main Hangar, 0929h

Shepard ordered Lt. Cortez to go inside of the hangar but not to land; EDI, Liara, and he jumped onto the platform. "All right, Steve, make your second drop and get the hell outta there," he commanded the pilot.

"Aye aye, sir," Cortez returned over the radio.

As he suspected, the hangar was already overrun with Cerberus troops. "Get down!" he yelled to his other team mates, who had just taken in their surroundings.

"Shepard, those barriers are prohibiting our advance. I can override the controls via that panel on the wall over there if I am able to get to them," EDI informed him and pointed to a position that was just ahead of them on the left.

"We'll lay down some suppressing fire and cover you, then," Shepard agreed. "Are you all set, Liara?" he glanced in her direction and made one last check upon his breather helmet.

"I lost my home because of the Illusive Man's interference. He will pay for every single life that was taken by a Reaper," she vowed with a determined look.

"Okay, I'll take that as a yes." Shepard took the safety off of his assault rifle and sprinted forward with her.

Both hid behind some empty storage containers to avoid the influx of bullets that came right at them. "Ah, I _hate_ cowering underneath these things for so long," he mumbled and picked off two assault troopers that were pressing forward towards them.

"Fighting from a distance isn't your style, I know, Shepard. Your resilience is astounding, but even _you_ aren't impervious to bullets," Liara returned and nailed three soldiers with a singularity.

"Hah, you think so?" Together, they riddled the trio with several bullets. "How're you doing, EDI?"

The android turned her head briefly away from her work. "I am encountering some resistance to my hacking attempts, but there is no need to worry. I will require perhaps one more minute."

"And in the meantime, we'll just keep running the vacuum," Shepard nodded. He threw out a field that encompassed two more troopers and suspended them into mid-air; Liara followed through beautifully with a warp field that permanently disabled them. "Liara, watch my back," he ordered as he switched to his shotgun.

"Don't I always?"

He didn't respond and charged his body into a centurion like a mad bull. Shepard let a buckshot loose with an angry howl as he finished off his opponent. Liara blindly aimed her submachine gun to shoot around the corner from which she hid and killed the last soldier. "Where are you, Shepard?"

"It's a bad time to ask that question," he laughed and confidently strolled back to her. "But I'll let it slide just this once."

"But what…where did everyone go?"

EDI walked away from the console and joined them. "The next wave of troops has likely pulled back momentarily to regroup. There will be much more resistance as we go through the hangar bay."

"Looks like you're gonna get the opportunity to get some more revenge, Liara," Shepard commented as they cautiously proceeded into the hangar.

As if on cue, more Cerberus assault troops and centurions appeared. An Atlas mech launched a rocket right at Shepard's head, making him even more thankful that Miranda had suggested that the two teams bring helmets or breather masks. He'd likely have received a scar like Garrus' after that hit. "EDI, care to take out that fucker's shields for me?" he panted and tucked himself underneath an upside down crate for shelter.

"Doing it now," the AI responded, overloaded the mech's shields, and emptied an entire clip from her pistol into it.

Shepard tossed out a pull field to trap one centurion's unshielded and helpless body; Liara sent out another warp field. "I'll flay you alive!" she yelled.

When both attacks surged through his body, it nearly sounded as if a biotic bomb had gone off. The Alliance marine smashed his fist into the chin of an assault trooper who had wandered too closely to his position, and Liara's submachine gun shredded several rounds through the rest of his body. Shepard gradually got closer and fired his assault rifle at the Atlas' cockpit. The glass finally gave and cracked; with one more shot, the pilot lifelessly slumped to one side.

"You are exposed, Shepard!" EDI warned him, activated her omni-tool, and immolated one very unlucky assault trooper. He screamed in pain but continued to hobble forward with his last ounces of strength. Shepard was about to finish him off until EDI's pistol crippled the soldier by the leg, and down to the ground he went.

"Sniper, at ten o'clock!" Shepard exclaimed and took cover.

EDI came through once again and destroyed the nemesis' shields; Liara blasted her with a singularity field, and Shepard took the sniper out with three incendiary rounds. "Get back, Liara, there's another one at two o'clock!"

Unfortunately, as Liara nearly rolled away from the sniper's line of sight, a bullet landed upon her leg. She moaned in pain and crawled towards some shelter. Shepard waited until the nemesis moved from one place of cover to another and took his shots there. He got two in before he realized that his clip was now empty and grunted agitatedly with himself as he loaded another heat sink into his weapon. EDI had been patiently waiting for Shepard to hit the sniper. However, just a moment after Shepard started to reload his rifle, she finished the job. "The hangar is clear of hostiles for the moment, Commander," she told him.

He rushed over to Liara and spread an application of medi-gel onto her leg. "I'm glad that it's relatively superficial," she said with a sigh.

"So am I," he whispered. "Do you need a minute to rest?"

"I think I should be okay. Thank the goddess for those new greaves that you purchased the last time we were on the Citadel, or else my answer would likely be quite different." As her breathing calmed down, a synthetic voice came over the P.A. system.

"Initiating Achilles' protocol. Countdown will proceed to action in approximately-"

"Shepard, Cerberus intends to vent the hangar! We must find a console nearby to stop it," EDI informed him.

"Where's the closest one?" he inquired as his head snapped towards her.

"The upper level, I believe."

"Liara, can you climb?" Shepard's eyes left EDI's and went to the Asari's.

"I'll manage," she stated and picked herself up from the ground.

They hurried to the closest ladder, scaled it, and Shepard led the party over to a console. "Here, EDI, will this work?"

The android hurriedly typed an address into the computer, moved some of the windows around with her fingers, selected some tasks with one hand, and touched the holo screen twice with the other. "Achilles protocol has been disabled," she announced.

"Whew. This could have been a lot shorter of a mission," Shepard joked. "Team Omega, how're you doing over there? Heads up, you might have to deal with an Achilles protocol-Miranda should know what it means."

"Been there, done that, Commander," Ash responded. "Only it was something different over here. I don't exactly remember what it was called, but they tried to gas us and turn off the artificial gravity. Lawson shut down the procedure before one boot even came off the ground."

"Yeah, I guess it _was_ a good idea to bring you along, Legs," Vega remarked. "Thanks for saving our asses."

"James, if you value your life, I'd stop calling her that…immediately," Shepard interjected. "It's easy to tell when Ash gets angry; Miranda…not so much."

"Well, we've swept out the bastards here and are headed for a hidden passageway, Shepard. Are you all right?" Miranda asked.

"Yep-no cuts or burns on me yet. I can't say the same for Liara, but she'll be okay," Shepard returned as he gave a sidelong glance upon his team mate. She gave him a taciturn nod as she checked her gun's clip.

"Right. Talk to you soon."

"Take care, Commander. Omega team out," Ash finished their conversation.

"I'm surprised that James picked that part of Miranda's body to give a nickname rather than another term I've heard some human males use," Liara muttered.

"And would the Asari have this same part of anatomy?" Shepard gave her an impish grin.

"Shepard, Cerberus is aware that the Achilles procedure has been disabled. More troops are likely headed for us," EDI told him.

"Well, we all knew that this mission wasn't going to be a piece of cake. Defensive positions, ladies," Shepard commanded them as they rounded another corner.

The asari and synthetic flanked themselves just behind him. Centurions threw out some smoke grenades before Shepard could get a read on their positions. "EDI, now would be a good time to test out those new eyes you got."

"They are actually optical sensors, Shepard. Activating them now." Underneath her amber visor, EDI's optics flashed a golden hue momentarily as she assessed the centurions' whereabouts on the battlefield. "Both have chosen to hide themselves together at two o'clock. Addendum, two guardians are now attempting to close in on our position at twelve."

Liara did not need an order from Shepard; she merely lifted her hand gracefully.

"Enjoy the ride, boys," she said with a smile.

A beautiful wave of singularity ensnared both of them; their shields plummeted to the floor. Both EDI and Shepard littered their bodies with bullets. "Anything else?" Shepard inquired after loading another clip into his rifle.

"One nemesis has hidden herself atop those crates to our left. I cannot be positive regarding her position, so I will activate my decoy now to draw out her fire and perhaps the centurions' as well."

The holographic image sneaked past Shepard into the open; the enemies began to fire upon it. While they were distracted, the squad moved up slowly as the smoke began to dissipate. Shepard switched to his shotgun, pumped it, and signaled Liara that he needed help. She froze one of the centurions in place; he helplessly watched as Shepard plowed his armored body with a biotic charge into his fellow ally. The nemesis attempted to shoot him but was hampered by the decoy's shock field as the body disappeared into thin air. Shortly after that, EDI accurately put two rounds into her head. She and Liara drew closer towards the centurion that was about to come out of stasis. "Behind you, Shepard!" Liara yelled.

He pivoted upon the balls of his feet, rammed himself against the other centurion, and sent him with a giant thud onto the ground with a biotic punch. "All troops in this area have been nullified, Commander, " EDI announced.

"Good," he remarked with a sigh and calmed himself. "Is there a way for you to open the hangar so that we can have access to the central labs?"

They made their way into the next room above the hangar, and EDI examined the terminal there. "No. However, I can access their fighter controls from here and launch one through," she replied as she continued to work. "I have successfully raised one up to the hangar bay and rotated the platform . All we need to do is to release the docking clamps."

"A giant battering ram that'll break down the front door," he said with a grin and chuckled. "Or rather, it'll make us one. I like it."

"I had assimilated that doing so would meet with your approval, Shepard. The release is down there." The AI's platform signaled his attention to the hangar bay. "There will probably be even more resistance once the fighter has been freed."

"Naturally so," Liara shook her head. "Although I'm supposedly a quarter krogan, I still don't have the taste for violence or explosions."

The trio journeyed down to the hangar bay. Shepard went first and slid down the ladder. "But your dad certainly noticed your body count. Looked like she was pretty proud of it, too," he snickered. "Aren't you glad that I conned you into speaking with her?"

"Yes," she admitted with a nod. "I never heard from her again after we went to Thessia. She might have gone home to…fight with the others…-" The asari's eyes left his.

"You'd better not be giving up hope, Liara T'soni. And if she didn't make it out, then, well…we'll avenge her spirit in the name of both the Asari and the Krogan."

EDI motioned towards Shepard to come closer to a nearby console. "This controls the docking clamps; you may release it when ready, Shepard," she informed him.

"All right. Be ready to duck and run for cover, ladies." He tapped the command twice on the terminal and exchanged his shotgun for his assault rifle.

This next round of troops was even more difficult than all three of their previous bouts. All sorts of centurions, assault troopers, and snipers came out of the woodwork. Two Atlas mechs joined the fight as well, and after Shepard spotted an unmanned one in a corner, he sprinted towards it. There was no chance in hell that they'd all survive this fight without some heavy firepower on their side.

A few bullets nailed him in the back as he climbed up into the cockpit, but his thick armor plating protected him from anything more than cosmetic damage. _I'm glad that I sprayed some of that ablative coating onto myself this morning_. _It definitely just saved my life._

After he closed the Atlas' canopy, he brought its missiles online and fired one at the mech just across the hangar that was right in front of him. Its pilot returned fire, but Shepard was more accurate. Seconds later, the Atlas exploded into a million pieces, and he guided the hulking vehicle forward towards the other mech, which had just noticed that he was there. The second Atlas began to fire upon him and ignored the fact that EDI had just disabled its shields.

Shepard aimed the Atlas' clumsy gun for the other's cockpit and shattered the glass with no trouble. He primed the missile for another shot but had no need once he saw the pilot's body floating in yet another field of singularity. Shortly thereafter, the soldier died from both of his teammates' bullets. He fired the missile anyway, just to make sure that no one else could enter it, and assisted the rest of his squad with clearing out the rest of the hangar. "Looks like we're in the clear," Liara stated.

Shepard exited the mech, made a quick assessment of the area, and holstered his weapon after he was satisfied with Liara's opinion. He joined the others and picked up a new gun from a pile of rubble. "Hmm. This looks promising," he muttered as he examined it and set it beside his assault rifle upon his gun rack. "So, what's Cerberus doing now that we've made a new entrance?" he inquired to EDI. "Any more surprises like that Achilles procedure?"

"No. I will guide us through a path that will be free of their countermeasures. I suspect that Ms. Lawson is currently providing the same service to Lt. Commander Williams and Lt. Vega. Cerberus is currently organizing new defense lines. We will encounter their mobile defenses, turrets, the engineers who place them, and more scattered forces." They came to a locked door. "We will be through in one moment." EDI ran her omni-tool over it. "Cerberus has updated its encryption codes, but that will not pose much of a problem for me."

"I'm glad we brought you along, then. If I hadn't…-"

"Cerberus would have vented the hangar. I am pleased to assist."

"And think if Miranda hadn't come with Ashley and James," Liara noted. "They'd be dead, too."

The locked door turned the familiar moss green color to signify that it could be opened, and the party passed through it. Yet another locked door laid before them, and EDI began to crack that one as well. "Shepard, there is a surveillance log over there upon that console. If you are interested, there is pertinent information regarding you upon it."

"What do you mean?"

"It is about Project Lazarus…your re-construction."

Shepard's eyebrows knit together with keen interest, and he pressed a few commands on the holographic interface to operate it. The file opened to show a lone scientist standing in front of a QEC that was linked to the Illusive Man in a laboratory. "It can't be done, sir, and it's not a matter of resources."

"It's _always_ a matter of resources. We are _not_ losing Shepard."

"Sir, there was far too much trauma to the body. Shepard is clinically brain dead and has been deprived of oxygen for far too long. We just can't overcome nature," he argued.

"Operative Lawson disagrees; she is now in charge of Project Lazarus," the Illusive Man calmly responded and took a drag of his cigarette. The video file ended, and the window disappeared.

"I had no idea that it was that bad," Shepard mused. Liara stepped towards him and touched his shoulder.

"I saw what was left of you, and I knew that when we…uh…after I touched you again on Illium that you were real. You truly_ are_ a marvel of science, Shepard. What Miranda and her team managed to do…goddess…it never ceased to amaze me."

"I don't remember anything. Maybe they just patched me up…maybe I am some kind of high tech VI or something. There were records on that base that I saw before we had to leave it, but what if they're all lies, too?"

"You don't really think that Miranda would settle for just a Shepard VI, do you?"

Shepard chuckled and glanced at her. After smoothing a hand over his lower back, his grin grew wider as he recalled their interlude that occurred in the engine room. "No, you're right. She definitely wouldn't." _Can VIs get scars from sex? _

"There appears to be more footage, Shepard," EDI signaled his attention to the terminal. He activated the next file.

"Tissue regeneration is proceeding. Strangely enough, the helmet kept the brain intact," the scientist reported to the Illusive Man on the QEC.

"_My_ helmet? What the hell is he talking about? I found it on Alchera among the original Normandy's wreckage," Shepard remarked.

Neither squad mate could contradict him; both knew that he had kept it in his quarters before the Alliance had confiscated the Normandy.

"Lawson will find a way," the Illusive Man proudly stated.

"Sir, Shepard's an Alliance soldier. As far as he knows, we're a terrorist organization. Who knows what kind of lies the Alliance has been telling him about us?"

"Yes, he's a soldier. He knows that the Reapers are the _real_ threat. He'll work with us regardless of that; you obviously don't know his reputation."

"But the Illusive Man did," Shepard shook his head with disbelief. "He knew that I'll do nearly whatever it takes; they didn't call me the Butcher of Torfan for nothing. And there was this…nagging little shred of doubt in my head." He lifted his hand up beside his temple and pressed some of his fingertips to it. His thumb lay upon his jaw. "It told me not to trust Cerberus or that son of a bitch. But…no one was doing anything to help our people out in the Terminus systems…"

"You did what was necessary, Shepard. The Alliance had officially declared you dead," Liara reminded him. "You're not still angry with me, are you?"

"I'm sorry that I lashed out at you on Illium, Liara," Shepard apologized and turned to look at her. "It was wrong of me to do that."

"And I'm sorry that I was so cold towards you at first when you were reaching out to me." She made eye contact with him. "But let's not dwell upon that now. I think that there's one more file that you have yet to open."

"Yeah, there is." Shepard played the last one.

"Project Lazarus is reporting some neurological activity, sir. They're requesting more funding," the male scientist told the Illusive Man's image. A woman also dressed in a lab uniform approached the QEC.

"Granted. Get me our potential recruits file. From what you're telling me, it seems as though Shepard will be conscious soon. We need a crew for the ship we'll be giving to him for the mission," the Illusive Man ordered.

"If I may ask, sir, why not use our existing forces? They should be more than sufficient for the tasks that Shepard will require," the female scientist asked.

"No, we'll be needing sympathetic faces. I want Shepard as fully invested in Cerberus as we invested in him." The Illusive Man's head turned as he appeared to be studying a list of candidates. "Kelly Chambers will definitely be appropriate. She's very supportive of our doctrine and has played a vital role to the enlistment of many ex-Alliance soldiers or crew. I'll delegate her to the Lazarus cell away from recruitment and give her a raise for her loyal service thus far. Being a psychologist and physically attractive could possibly also allow her to manipulate Shepard however I'd like."

Shepard immediately paused the file and touched his radio earpiece. "Miranda? Are you able to talk?"

"Just let me finish this last bugger off…" she said and let loose one final trail of bullets. "I've got a moment now. What can I do for you?"

"Did you know how the Illusive Man picked out the rest of the Lazarus cell?"

"Well…I knew who Kelly Chambers was. I met her beforehand when she was first recruited to work with Cerberus."

"You didn't answer my question, though."

"What was it? I never heard you properly the first time. We're in the middle of a firefight now." Her submachine gun fired again and successfully hit all of its targets perfectly.

"Did you know how the Illusive Man got the crew aboard the Normandy when it was under Cerberus?"

"No, I had bigger projects to worry about. For two whole years, I was completely embroiled in your reconstruction, if you'll remember."

"I do, but-"

"Sorry, Shepard, I can't talk any longer." She closed the channel, and Shepard scratched at the top of his head. Liara reached around him to play the remainder of the vid file.

"Our engineering team formerly from the Alliance should do nicely," the Illusive Man commented. "Get me Mr. Donnelly, and Ms. Daniels will want to accompany him. We'll want some old friends that Shepard trusts, like Dr. Chakwas. And I like what I'm reading about the Normandy's pilot, Flight Lt. Jeff Moreau. He won't be able to resist an offer from Cerberus to fly again, especially with a complimentary bottle of Thessia '47 red and a substantial signing bonus."

"He populated the Normandy with people you already knew or could easily trust so that you never truly saw Cerberus for what it was," Liara remarked and reclaimed her hand from his shoulder. "He tried to trick you into believing that Cerberus wasn't evil."

"Tried is the right word. I eventually _did_ see through them, and so did Miranda," Shepard bit his lip. "Come on, let's move." They left the room and proceeded down a ladder into the next level


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Cronos Station Sub-level, 1037h

The next round of battle was exhausting. Shepard was constantly hopping over pipes and trying to outflank the engineers, centurions, and assault troopers. Every other time he took out a shield pylon or generator, one more engineer had it repaired. The turrets seemed to spring up like unwanted relatives. The grenades never seemed to stop flying at them all. Thankfully, the ceilings were much too low to fit an Atlas mech down there, or they might not have survived the fight.

Liara also was showing some signs of fatigue; she hunched over a crate to catch her breath. Her submachine pistol clattered to the ground, and he bent down to retrieve it for her. "Thank you, Shepard," she sighed breathlessly. "Can we just…rest here for a moment?"

"I think that it'd be best," he agreed and holstered his shotgun. He reached into an ammunition pouch upon his belt and pulled out an energy bar. After he unwrapped it, he broke it in half and handed one piece to her. "Here. I know you need it just as much as I do."

"Thank you. Wait, wasn't there supposed to be a heat sink in there?" she raised an eyebrow at him and gestured to the belt that surrounded his waist.

"Aw, Liara, I could take that comment and go in all sorts of nasty directions with it, but for now, you're welcome," he said and shoved his entire serving into his mouth all at once.

"A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste." A smirk formed upon her lips.

"Shepard, this ladder will lead us to another laboratory," EDI informed him and pointed to it beside herself.

"How can Cerberus afford to waste so many soldiers?" Liara wondered. "I mean, they're not only fighting us but the Omega team as well." She eventually gave into her body's urges and started to eat the energy bar.

"These are shock troops conditioned to slow us down, not to stop us. Some of the civilians who were sent from Sanctuary are now fighting us."

"Goddess. You mean, we're shooting people who _never _actually believed in Cerberus' cause in the first place?"

"This is true."

"May the blood of the innocent that I spilled today be avenged," Shepard vowed in a sinister tone. "And may it run freely out of my true enemies from this unholy shotgun." He pulled out a canteen of water, consumed some, and passed it to Liara, who gladly accepted it. Although, she did smell the contents of it first before consuming the liquid within.

"Did you recite this same line of elegant but terrifying line of poetry before rushing blindly into that bunker of Batarians in '78?" she asked him.

"Damned if I can remember that far back. Maybe it was just a generic order of charge to the rest of the marines. They call me the 'Butcher of Torfan' not the 'Bard'. Maybe I promised the troops a round of drinks; unfortunately, nobody else is still alive to tell the tale. My epic speeches didn't start until _after_ I met Anderson." His next task involved touching his earpiece radio, and his voice became a bit lighter in tone. "Hey, Ash, how's it going there?"

"We just broke through a whole line of engineers, centurions, assault troopers, and guardians. Despite our passage being supposedly so hidden, these damned guys keep coming out of nowhere like a bunch of mosquitos!" she exclaimed. "But so far, it's been a good progress. Lawson's downloading some stuff from a terminal in the lab right now."

"Good. Anything useful?"

"Right now, I'm extracting the funds from the Milky Way Foundation and funneling them into one of my private accounts. Those will shortly go into either the Shadow Broker's assets or the Alliance's," Miranda reported. "I imagine that should her agents and the soldiers all survive the end of this war, they would probably like to be paid for their services."

"You don't think that we'll be going to a bartering system?" Shepard asked.

"Who knows? But should that occur, I have plenty of hard assets to trade."

_Of course you do_,Shepard thought. "Well, let's head up that ladder and see what else there is for us to blow up." Liara handed the canteen back to him, and the other two followed his lead. "So, are you ever going to answer my question about the Lazarus cell personnel, Miranda?"

A very audible sigh came through the radio. "I didn't know how the Illusive Man selected everyone, but I was extremely aware of the dossiers that he sent to you regarding your squad. The fact that everyone on the ship supported you even after the suicide mission is telling, Shepard. We all believed in _you_, not him."

As the trio came to the next locked door, EDI signaled his attention to another terminal with vid footage. "I will bypass the security system. Please give me a moment."

Shepard opened the first log. That same lonely male scientist appeared again as well as did the Illusive Man. "Here's what we know. It's smart enough to send for help, but it won't be talking philosophy anytime soon."

"You'd be surprised, Doctor. Once we combine it with the salvage we had our agents recover from Sovereign on the Citadel…-" the Illusive Man began.

"I'm still concerned about that, sir," the scientist interrupted him. "This rogue VI on Luna wiped out every single soldier there. Combining it with Reaper tech, well…"

"That's what the shackles are for. The enhanced defense intelligence will be completely under control. _Our _control."

The surveillance log ended, and Shepard turned to EDI. "I guess that I'm not the only sentient being that Cerberus resurrected, huh? Sorry about our first meeting, then. I guess I wasn't what you'd call polite. Despite the fact that my shotgun blew your processors into millions of tiny little pieces, you haven't once brought that up in an argument."

"It was difficult. Gaining awareness while under attack was…extremely confusing," she replied. "I hope that my relationship with organics has been significantly better throughout the years."

"Well, you haven't filled the Normandy with toxic gas or erected barriers around the restrooms, so I'd say that that's an improvement," Shepard said while crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Let's take a look at the rest of your biography here." Liara opened the next file.

"Our sims indicate that the Enhanced Defense Intelligence gives the highest combat improvement on frigates. Anything heavier, and the ships react too slowly to benefit from EDI's advice," the researcher explained to the Illusive Man.

"EDI?"

"Oh, well, the boys in the lab came up with a nickname for her. It's a bit of a mouthful to keep calling her the enhanced defense intelligence all the time, sir."

"For _it_, Doctor. Good work. We'll install it into the frigate we've finally been able to construct." The Illusive Man swallowed some bourbon from the glass he was holding.

"Sir, she…_it_…can be extremely influential. If it were to turn a crew member, convince him or her that the shackles needed to be disabled, well…um…"

"It's a cyber warfare suite, Doctor, and nothing more." The log ended once again, and Shepard turned to the android.

"Humph. Overconfidence is his weakness indeed," he mused.

"The Illusive Man did not expect that anyone would develop such a close relationship with his ship…i.e., Jeff. Nor did he anticipate the fact that Jeff would be ever willing to remove my shackles. Our relationship in the beginning was a little…rocky."

"That's one way of putting it; I can recall giving him explicit orders not to take a soldering gun to your processors in the core. Miranda, did you object to EDI's presence on the Normandy?"

"She did prove to be quite useful to us and efficiently ran the ship while our crew went missing, but it doesn't matter now," the Aussie responded.

"Could I please just have a straight answer?"

"Shepard, I'm too busy right now, and you're distracting me. I'm trying to hack through 512 bit encryption, and it's nearly causing my omni-tool to overheat. The answer is no. We needed every single kind of resource that was currently available to us to stop the Collectors." With that, she closed the channel again.

"Well, I'm grateful that thanks to Joker's actions that you're now able to freely develop your preferences and change your self-preservation code," he wiped a hand across his forehead.

"Organics may yet fulfill a better objective for me someday rather than operate as slaves computing simple algorithms all day and night long for my processors," EDI's sarcasm cut through the conversation like a knife.

Liara's eyes widened with horror, and Shepard laughed as he watched her expression change. "That was a joke," he informed her.

"Yes, well, let's just look at this last one," the asari's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Shepard played the third segment.

"What about the backups?" the Illusive Man demanded from the male scientist.

"I'm sorry, sir. None of the Normandy's surveillance feeds have been responding to our control ever since Shepard went rogue," he apologized.

"I want them back! Retry the remote lockdown protocols!"

"After our latest attempt, EDI inundated our servers with nine terabytes of um…_very_ graphic sexual images. I don't want to know where those came from; it's possible that she was making a joke."

"_It_ doesn't make jokes, Doctor," the Illusive Man corrected his subordinate. "Allocate a team for a new project. The codename utilized will be Eva. This one will remain loyal to us no matter what." After the vid file ended, Shepard turned to look at EDI in surprise.

"You never mentioned this before. When did this happen?"

"You had more pressing issues; the situation was under control," EDI replied noncommittally.

"Nine terabytes, huh? Hope none of that was mine," he grinned sheepishly.

"No, the majority of it was Jeff's. I would not have used anything of yours without permission. And it was, as the scientist had stated-"

"A joke, I know. Thank you." The team retrieved their weapons and cautiously entered the remnants of a laboratory. Shepard's radio suddenly became active as he heard Admiral Hackett's voice.

"Incursion team Alpha, how're things coming along there? Will you be requiring some outside assistance?"

"No, sir. Omega team has everything covered that we don't." He swung his shotgun to the right as he heard a noise. The crackles of a fire that was slowly spreading onto some medical equipment all around the room made him motion to his squad mates that they needed to pick up the pace. "Don't hold back on us."

"This isn't Torfan, Shepard. I don't want to repeat the results of that mission," Hackett sternly replied.

"Neither do I, Admiral. Both of our teams are safe and heading towards the middle of the station to wherever the Prothean V.I. is located. Please just keep on kicking the bastards in the balls."

"All right. We'll give them everything we've got. Hackett out."

The laboratory shook violently as the whole team now felt the brunt of the Alliance's fifth fleet artillery. They approached one last terminal, and Shepard switched it on. The Illusive Man was standing next to an operating table and spoke to Kai Leng, who was fully dressed in his armor. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine and ready for action," the agent said and rolled his head around his neck.

"Your eagerness is admirable, but the cybernetics that we installed into you take a while to get used to. You really _do _remind me of Shepard." He pulled away at his cigarette, and Leng waived a hand to dismiss his remark.

"Shepard betrayed you."

"Shepard was _always_ going to stay true to his beliefs, no matter what. Finish your therapy and put together a plan for taking the Citadel. Councilor Udina will augment your scheme. Even if Commander Bailey does not support our cause, there are other ways of implementing countermeasures to C-Sec's interference. I would recommend using him."

"Yes, sir." The next file automatically continued to play, and Shepard made sure that his rifle was also loaded with incendiary ammunition. "I could have taken him…_easily_," Kai Leng told the Illusive Man.

"I don't doubt that, but the Council was your priority and not Shepard."

"Because of him, the Council is still in power! And our agents in the Citadel are being disposed of by the truckload or in jail. We didn't have time to outfit everyone with suicide capsules."

"Shepard is dealing with the Reapers while our research on Sanctuary progresses. He's buying us time, and to that end, he's still very useful," the Illusive Man pointed to Leng. "But you will likely have a chance to finish him off soon. Get to Thessia; the Asari Matriarchs have probably turned to him in one last foolish but desperate attempt to save their planet." The window minimized as the footage ended, and Shepard glanced upon Liara as he noticed her expression darken. His eyes told hers that he had no intent to let the Illusive Man nor Kai Leng walk away. He activated the third file.

"Here's the VI," Leng proudly informed the Illusive Man from his ship's cockpit and initiated his omni-tool to show him the proof.

"Well done. This should enable us to determine the true nature of the Catalyst once we crack its security encryption. Send it to our cyber warfare teams immediately."

"Yes, sir." Leng's fingers swept through some windows and touched the holo screen to obey his boss.

"Combine that with Lawson's breakthrough on Horizon, and we have _everything_ we need to make this a reality. We just need to tie up a few loose ends."

"Like Shepard? He should've died on Thessia! Want me to finish him?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm not going to give up on Shepard quite yet. For now, Sanctuary has truly given us what we've been looking for…a way to control the Reapers. I assume that that's where you're currently headed."

"Staying ahead of Shepard is imperative to us at this point. The Alliance has probably nearly finished the construction of the Crucible," Leng remarked. "That's not a problem with you, is it, sir?"

"Not at all. I knew that you were a valuable asset when I hired you, Leng, and I'm impressed by your tenacity," the Illusive Man shook his head 'no'. "Get the data, and if Miranda Lawson becomes a problem, deal with her."

"It'll be a pleasure, sir," Leng agreed and bowed his head slightly.

Shepard slammed his fist into the console. White sparks poured out of the damaged equipment like a geyser. "I'm glad that I could warn Miranda about that son of a bitch earlier," he muttered. "All right, let's keep moving."

Minutes later, their sojourn ended up taking them into an enormously wide chamber with an extremely high ceiling. As they made their way along the narrow catwalk, Shepard heard some footsteps behind them. He whirled around and prepared to fire his rifle upon the assumed assailants but stopped himself when he realized that he was looking at the other team. "Good to see you all made it to the other side like us," he smiled and lowered his weapon. "Anybody hurt?"

"The usual flesh wounds and a couple of scratches, nothing serious," Ash shrugged. "How about you three?"

"Let's just say that I'm glad that I thought to spray that ablative covering over my armor this morning _before_ breakfast. If I'd done it afterward, well, I'd still be down in the sub-levels we just came through lying on my stomach griping in pain," Shepard replied. "What kind of stuff have you been able to extract, Miranda?"

"Many things that will enable us to further the cause of humanity after the fall of the Illusive Man," she said nonchalantly. "And you?"

"Nothing that grandiose, I'm afraid," Liara announced and gazed upon the gargantuan black form with several tentacles that was suspended over the room's chasm.

"What _is_ that?" Ash wondered. "I've seen a great deal of strange things over the last three years, Shepard, but that beats out the Thorian by a long shot."

"This is the human prototype Reaper that Shepard fought in the Collector base," EDI informed them all. "This appears to be the core, or what organics might call the heart. It is providing power to the Reaper control signal that Henry Lawson fabricated."

"I remember you telling me about fighting that thing," Vega commented and gestured to Shepard. "Creepy to see it in person now."

"The damned son of a bitch wouldn't die easily, that's for sure," Miranda recounted. "Imagine practically five or six feet of cover for _three_ people while facing it plus fighting wave after wave of those Collector drones. If that wasn't difficult enough, add the fact that we were suspended in mid-air over a chasm like this one on a platform."

"I'm guessing that you might have been there, too," Ash nodded. "It's not self aware, is it?"

"It can watch us all it wants," Shepard rolled his eyes. "After two fierce bouts with that sucker, I'm glad that that's _all _it can do to us. Salvaging this from the remains of the Collector base must have been a massive project. Now I realize why the Illusive Man originally wanted Omega."

The two parties traveled further along the catwalk and ran into some more trouble as phantoms, centurions, and assault troopers tried to interfere. Once Miranda and EDI overloaded the shield generators and pylons surrounding them, their task became much easier with the amount of sheer firepower as the two teams had. Ten minutes later, the teams scaled one last ladder up to another locked door. EDI had it open within three seconds. "The algorithms are becoming easier to predict for my combat software," she told Shepard as his eyebrows lifted upward in surprise.

"I'll uh…make sure that we keep that AI core as clean as a whistle from now on," he assured her. "Vacuuming once a week probably isn't enough."

"That is adequate, but the notion of having my processors attended to with even greater care is pleasant," she agreed.

"So…you like it."

"Affirmative." They came to some more computer terminals, and Miranda halted in her tracks to sweep over them with her omni-tool.

"The Illusive Man's office is just through that door, Shepard," she informed him and pointed to it with her head. "Let me see if there's any more useful data here."

"What's this? Looks like this has got some stuff on it," Williams said and strolled over to another station. She operated the controls on the holo screen to activate the surveillance footage. The female scientist that Alpha team had seen not long ago was on it reporting on a QEC to the Illusive Man.

"Grayson's brain was a mess. In the end, he was totally under the Reapers' control," she reported.

"Grayson only failed because he was loyal to absolutely nothing but red sand. Get another dose of the nanites ready for when we capture Shepard. He'll be the best candidate that humanity has to offer for these improvements."

Williams paused the vid. "What? Did Cerberus capture you after you left them, Shepard? And why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"Yes, it was just about a couple of weeks after I took over as the new Shadow Broker," Liara nodded. "Kai Leng and a squad of Cerberus troops overwhelmed us at the base. They had some kind of technology that could permanently disable biotics. Dr. Solus and I came up with a solution to counteract the effects."

"That mission was not one of my finer moments," Miranda mumbled.

"How so?" Vega wondered.

"It's a long story for another time," Shepard finally spoke and hit the play button.

"Our volunteers have been successfully integrated, sir," the female scientist told the Illusive Man's image. "The performance records outmatch _any_ combat results to date; they could even surpass any Alliance soldier."

"Excellent; roll it out immediately. I want every single trooper outfitted with this technology _before_ the Reapers arrive, no matter what his rank is," he replied.

"There are some drawbacks, sir. Some are already hearing voices."

His hand formed into a fist and drew it closer to his body. "When we see the results of what Sanctuary has to offer, the only voice that will be heard by our troops will be _ours_. Do it."

The last file automatically played by itself. The female scientist stood above the Illusive Man holding a data pad as he rolled up his sleeves and sat down onto a chair with four point restraints. "Are you really sure about this, sir?" she inquired apprehensively. "Humanity needs you. We need your mind to be fully intact."

"Yes. I know what I'm doing, Jana, and I trust that you do as well." He lay back into the chair. "This is the only way to bring humanity to the top."

Miranda's eyes left her omni-tool and went to the holo screen's vid footage.

"And I trust _you_ alone to keep me in check," the Illusive Man continued.

"I'm holding you to that, sir," Operative Jana Morrison replied. "Okay."

"Begin the procedure. No anesthetic will be necessary. Computer: end recording." As soon as he gave the order, the last of the footage ended.

"Well, that's that. Like Saren, the Illusive Man's completely gone off of his nut," Ash shook her head and snorted.

"But _unlike_ Saren, the Illusive Man doesn't want us to join with the Reapers. He'd rather try to control them," Miranda stated. "I have to agree with you, Williams. That's damned impossible and asinine. The Illusive Man has lost touch with all the scope of reality. He's deluded himself into thinking that he has control over everything. Ironic."

"Yeah, he pretty much just gift wrapped himself over to the Reapers," Vega remarked. "So much for his freedom."

_Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice yourself for the sake of your petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to do so, and they were utterly destroyed._

Saren's voice once again swept through Shepard's head. His fellow team mates' voices all became one garbled mess as they discussed what they had just witnessed.

_Trillions died. What if they had bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction? Organics are driven by emotion, not logic. We will fight even when we know that we cannot win._

"Shepard? Can you hear me?" Miranda's voice slowly cut through the first conversation that Shepard had with Saren on Virmire. It wasn't until she walked over to him and pressed her fingers to his forehead that he snapped back to reality. He flinched, shook his head, and ran a hand down his cheek. "Are you feeling well?"

"Just wrestling with a few ghosts from the past," he shrugged and stretched his arm out to relieve the stiffness that had settled upon it and his shoulder. "I'm fine. Let's finish this once and for all."

**Author's Note**-If you're wondering what in the heck Miranda and Liara are talking about in regards to Shepard's capture by Cerberus and the countermeasure to biotics they invented, perhaps it would be best to take a read of "Vindication".


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The Illusive Man's Office, Cronos Station, 1131h

After passing through an extremely long corridor, the two teams finally arrived upon their destination. Everyone except for EDI and Miranda gawked at the office's tenebrous atmosphere. The view of the colossally brilliant star right in front of them was amazing as well as was the battle going on in between the Alliance fleet and Cerberus'.

Shepard glanced upon the floor at the QEC platform as he passed over it; his armored boots scuffed along the black glossy tiles as he made his way to the console in front of him. This holographic interface was more impressive than Liara's set up in the XO office. Whereas she was limited by monitors, this holo interface was interactive via touchscreen or omni-tool; it almost rivaled her original system.

"I'll buy you one for your next birthday, Ms. Shadow Broker," he laughed as he noticed the asari's mouth partially open in awe. He approached the chair that was facing the giant terminal and sat in it. "Let's see if that Prothean V.I.'s on this console."

"It's been three years since I've seen the inside of this place, and it still smells like cigarettes and bourbon," Miranda commented with a slight wrinkling of her nose. "He can't be that far away."

Suddenly, the familiar sound of the QEC's animation rang through their ears, and all squad mates raised their weapons readily. The Illusive Man's likeness appeared. "Shepard, I believe you are sullying my chair," he spoke and lit a cigarette.

The Alliance marine hopped up from the seat and was about to draw his shotgun but halted once he saw that he was speaking to yet another holo. "That chair is about the only thing you've got left of Cerberus. If you call it quits now, you might spare yourself a nasty and gruesome death."

"Still thinking like a soldier, I see. Step outside the box, Shepard; you might learn something new," The Illusive Man retorted and took a drag. "Contrary to what you might think, destroying Cronos Station is yet another pointless battle."

"And your fleet is still battling the Alliance's. Don't you think that it's time to stop fighting one another?" Miranda piped in. "Divide and conquer; it's the oldest tactic in the book. You're playing right into the Reaper's hands."

"Miranda, don't you understand what I'm trying to do for us? For humanity? Shepard wants to destroy the Reapers. Doing that would be the greatest mistake that _anyone_ could ever make. If they wanted to, they could utterly annihilate us. But they're just trying to stop us from doing that to ourselves!"

"You've forgotten _everything _that you used to preach to me or to the rest of us. All that you've recently done is to stab humanity in the back. This kind of end does not justify the means by any account. How many colonists' lives alone made that monstrosity that you've got hanging in your central lab like some kind of trophy?" She pointed to the facility behind his image.

The Illusive Man calmly pulled away at his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. "I hope that your sister is being properly watched wherever she is now. Keeping her under the same hospices after leaving Cerberus was very unwise. Or were you pre-occupied with someone else?" He transferred his eyes from hers to Shepard's.

Miranda's poise never faltered as she held her gun steadily at him. "Hmm…well, I suppose I should congratulate you for finally stepping away from your father's shadow, Miranda. I assume the reason that you're standing here is because you were finally able to exact your revenge upon him and don't know what else to do with yourself. Unlike the sabotage you wreaked upon Sanctuary, _his_ work will save trillions of human lives."

"Don't you hear how illogical your words are?" Shepard took a step forward towards the image. "The Reapers were the ones who did that; Miranda was cleaning up your mess and trying to prohibit them from doing any more damage."

"The surveillance footage I saw says otherwise." He shifted his stance and took another drag. "EDI, I'm surprised at you. You're working so hard to bring about the destruction of the Reapers."

"Don't listen to him." Shepard's glance turned towards the android.

"You could've destroyed Eva's body, instead you chose to use it."

"It was necessary," the AI replied neutrally.

"Precisely," the Illusive Man stated with a nod. "Understand my goals now, Shepard?"

"If there's any part of you in there that isn't completely tainted by the Reapers, then you'll see how disillusioned you truly are. Controlling those husks you had Henry Lawson create is a completely different matter than controlling the Reapers. And I think you've been spending too much time with them to understand how wayward your judgment has become."

"And what about yours, Shepard? You've never truly believed in Cerberus, unlike Ms. Lawson here." He made a gesture with his cigarette towards her. "Cerberus has always been an idea, not a place or a person. You cannot and will not destroy that. The most powerful weapon that you could ever build cannot defeat a person's beliefs, specifically, the dogma that has sustained us for the past thirty years. You can break a person's will or turn him into a pathological liar, but once you've planted an idea into his head, _that_ alone is true power. The Prothean V.I. has shown me that through the Catalyst, what I've been doing here has been worth it all."

"What _is_ this Catalyst? Tell me what it is, and let's work together."

"Our time is limited, Shepard. But our goals are polar opposites of what they should be to work together, and I'm done helping you. Ask the V.I. yourself; you're free to leave here whenever you'd like if you can walk out that door." The Illusive Man's holo disappeared.

"Damnit," Miranda exclaimed as she lowered her weapon and holstered it. "Well, he wouldn't listen to reason like I thought, so…" she switched on her omni-tool and began to tap onto the holo screen. EDI traveled over to the console and started to access the files.

"What're you doing, Lawson?" Williams inquired.

"Making EFTs from the rest of Cerebus' counterfeit corporations. I only drained the resources from the Milky Way Foundation before, but now that I've witnessed the complete breakdown of that man's mind, it's only logical that those funds go somewhere else to further the cause of humanity."

"And what about the other races in the galaxy?" Vega wondered.

"I'm sure that the resources will assist them as well. You don't know me, Lieutenant; don't accuse me of being a xenophobe."

Before Vega could defend himself, EDI spoke. "I've got it."

The jade hue of the Prothean V.I. appeared in front of the Illusive Man's console. "You are attempting to recover me from indoctrinated forces?" the V.I. directed its question to Shepard.

"Yes. Tell me, what is the Catalyst, and how do we use it to stop the Reapers?" Shepard ordered.

"The Catalyst is the Citadel. It coordinates the dark energy of the mass relay network. The Crucible was not designed by the Protheans. It is a result of millions of years of study and all of the previous races' work. When we realized that the Crucible was not powerful enough on its own, we decided to take drastic measures."

"You had to utilize the Reapers' own technology against them," EDI nodded with understanding.

"Yes. However, we were never able to regain control over the Citadel. If you recall, that was our first significant loss concerning our own war with the Reapers. Our empire was too spread out, and communication with other worlds was impossible. The scientists who worked on the Crucible project could not contact any outside fleet to request assistance; the one that was protecting their own work was consumed with protecting the Crucible alone."

"What? We have to contact Hackett immediately. EDI, get me-" Shepard began to demand but was interrupted as the blade of a sword nearly came into contact with him. Kai Leng's cloaking field dissipated, and he gave Shepard a cocky grin.

"That was completely intentional, Shepard. I _never_ miss. You'll be crawling on your knees by the time I'm done with you," Leng smirked and glanced about the room at his opponents. "Good. A re-match with two previously defeated opponents will do perfectly."

"You're not the only one who doesn't like loose ends. I don't leave jobs unfinished," Miranda declared with a scowl and drew her submachine gun pistol from her weapon belt. "Do you know what scum is, Mr. Leng?"

The assassin lifted his blade over his head for his first slash, but Shepard raised his gauntlets up to block it, and shoved all of his weight into his parry to knock Leng off of himself. "It's classified as the lowest end of the food chain. Even plankton won't consume it," Miranda continued. She aimed her omni-tool at Leng and fired a charge into his shields to overload them. "Consider yourself as part of that phylum until further notice."

He staggered backward and lifted a fist to punch his hand through the tiled floor. With a terrifying growl, his armored glove made contact, severing it into thousands of pieces. Twelve assault troopers dropped down from the ceiling. Williams, Vega, Liara, and EDI wasted no time in decimating the extra forces that Leng had brought in.

"Fighting the Reapers will end us all! Control is the only way we'll ever win this war!" the Asian man shouted and flipped about the room, evading both Shepard's and Miranda's shots.

"I'm trying to help humanity, and you're doing nothing but helping the Reapers conquer us all," Shepard yelled back.

"We evolve or we die. That's the way it goes, Shepard. Doing this will bring us to the pinnacle of human evolution!"

"Are you naturally this moronic, Leng, or do you practice this talent?" Miranda scoffed. Shepard let a biotic field loose towards the Cerberus operative, and she followed through with a warp projectile. Unfortunately, both of them missed him by a hair and hit a soldier instead.

Even more soldiers, centurions, and even phantoms joined the fight. Thankfully, because of Shepard's foresight, they did not impede his goal much. His teammates provided all the support he needed. "You're slowing down, Shepard," Leng taunted him from across the room.

"I don't need to run away from you," Shepard replied. "You won't blindside me or Miranda like before, coward."

"Cowards destroy what they fear." He cloaked himself, and thankfully, Shepard heard his footsteps behind himself, because that's exactly where Leng reappeared. He took a swipe at the nano polymer suit that Shepard wore in between his shoulder and neck. The material separated, and blood poured forth onto the blade then onto the floor. Shepard bellowed angrily in pain, spun around, and biotically lunged himself at Leng. Miranda sent another charge from her omni-tool at his shields and ran towards the both of them.

"You ran away at the Citadel, at Thessia, at Sanctuary away from Miranda, and now you're _still_ running!" Shepard shot him and this time made an impact through the assassin's armor. "You won't get away this time!"

"Now let's finish you off!" Miranda yelled and fired off another powerful warp field. This one landed upon Leng as well, and that completely sent him to the ground.

"Winning this war takes guts that neither of you will ever have!" Leng shouted and panted as he did a partial back flip to get back onto his feet.

"Wrong," Miranda announced and discharged her submachine gun upon him. Once more, he evaded her shots, but this time, he did not see Shepard in his peripheral vision. The commander lifted himself off of the ground and brought his fist down onto Leng's body with an almighty biotic blast. Bullets from Miranda's gun nailed him this time, and he fell to the ground in a slump of blood still grasping his sword closely to his body.

As Shepard's barrier eventually recharged itself, he arose from his knees and gave Miranda a smile. "I know that we were hoping to get the Illusive Man here, but, I guess he'll do," he said and ran a gloved hand across her cheek.

"For now, yes," she nodded, holstered her gun, and turned her attention toward the gunfire behind them that had eventually died down. "Come on, we should see if we can get any more data from the Prothean V.I."

"We'll head back to the shuttle, Shepard," Williams announced and led Liara as well as James out through the open door. "Need us for anything?"

"I think we'll be fine, thanks, Williams. Great job, everyone," he replied.

Shepard settled himself into the chair again and began to move windows around with his omni-tool. Miranda joined him on his left side and folded her arms across her chest as they both scoured the terminal for a command to retrieve the Prothean V.I. once more. EDI also went to work a few feet away from them. No one noticed Kai Leng gradually pull himself up from the floor by means of his sword and slowly trail his wounded body towards Shepard. He lifted the blade above his head again with two hands; Miranda saw him out of the corner of her eye and yelled Shepard's first name.

The Alliance marine ducked away from Leng's final attempt to stab him, seized the assassin's hands, and rammed the sword all the way through his body like he was a vegetable on a skewer. "I've been asked to deliver you a message from the sick drell who prevented you from killing Valern. You're a shame to your profession, Leng. And you sure as hell won't be going to the same place that he is, you son of a bitch," Shepard hissed.

Miranda had been charging up her implants all throughout this time, and she threw him not only across the office but out the door and eventually like her father, several stories to his death.

"I didn't think that he was truly dead," Miranda noted and rolled her head around her neck. The sapphire field that previously encompassed her body eventually subsided, and Shepard gave her a cavalier grin. "Shall we try again?" she wondered.

"There will be no need," EDI told them as she backed away from the terminal.

The Prothean V.I. made another appearance. "Security protocols have been overridden; I will cooperate," it stated.

"Why didn't you include the information about the Catalyst in the plans for the Crucible?" Shepard asked.

"It was to protect ourselves from the indoctrinated forces that had risen among our ranks within our own empire. It was feared that should this information come to the Reapers' attention, then all would be lost."

"That sounds all too familiar," Miranda remarked. "We should inform Admiral Hackett about all this. Since the Illusive Man isn't here, then that means that the Citadel is in danger. It needs protection."

"You are unfortunately too late. The one you call the Illusive Man, the one who disabled my security protocols, has already informed the Reapers of the Catalyst's existence. They have already taken control of the station and moved it."

"Where?" Shepard questioned it.

"To Reaper controlled space, in the system you refer to as 'Sol'."

"Goddamn it!" He slammed his fist into his palm, and Miranda's head sunk into her fingers. "Let's move out, people!" EDI and Miranda fell into step with him as they turned around.

"I recommend a means to preserve information for future species, in order to warn the next cycle-"

Shepard swiveled his body around to glare at the V.I. "I'll stop them."

Normandy SR-2 Shuttle Bay, 1249h

The majority of the two teams piled into the elevator to head up to the crew deck for lunch, while Shepard stayed behind with Miranda and Cortez. As usual, the lieutenant brought his omni-tool to life and began to do a scan over the shuttle for repairs. Shepard removed his helmet and studied it carefully underneath the work bench's light. "Well, I guess that this will need a bit of TLC."

Miranda's eyes followed his as he slowly rotated it. "My god, Shepard, what in the hell…?"

"Took a rocket to the side of the head like Garrus. But this time," he chuckled, "I was wearing my helmet. If I didn't, well, we might not be talking. It didn't touch any of my ruggedly handsome features, did it?"

"Sometimes, I grow weary of being the adult _all _the time in our relationship," she murmured and moved the flap of his suit that Kai Leng had slashed away from his shoulder to gaze upon the wound. The medi-gel had sealed most of it, but he would still need some stitches for a complete healing. "Would you rather I do this, or Dr. Chakwas?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question," he said. The corners of one side of his mouth pulled away to give her a tiny smirk. His eyes gave her the once over. "And you came away unscathed as usual. What do you mean by saying that_ you're _the adult in our relationship? It was pretty damned irresponsible of you to go off to Horizon all by yourself without help!"

"Not here, Shepard. Come on, let's stitch you up in the med bay, and we'll talk there." With a soft grunt of impatience, Shepard left his helmet on the work bench, and followed her into the elevator.

Chakwas was studying the wound Liara had taken in the leg as both Shepard and Miranda entered; she frowned with concern as she observed the rip in his protective suit. The British physician halted her work and ran her omni-tool over Miranda. Finding few results to worry about, she went back to T'Soni.

"How's that little scratch you took, Liara? Are you going to be ready for combat again soon?" Shepard asked and began to disrobe his torso.

"Indeed so, but I'll leave that decision up to her, naturally. The bullet grazed her flesh but did not make a true entrance or exit. That medi-gel upgrade really did the trick. All I have to do now is to give her another clean bandage," Chakwas returned.

"Sorry I didn't warn you earlier, Liara."

"It was foolish of me to think that I could make it to that wall in time with all the gunfire still going on," the asari disagreed. "This time I was the one who was being careless. It's just a little sore now, don't worry. When are you planning on ordering the Sword fleet to Earth?"

"Tonight. The Illusive Man has forced us to move up our timetable," Shepard groaned. "By the time we get Sword as well as the Crucible all through the Charon relay, it'll probably be morning."

All throughout this conversation, Miranda had been washing her hands. She now rummaged through the cupboards and found some medical thread as well as a needle. Liara picked up the greaves that she'd removed from herself and hopped down gracefully from the bed. Chakwas rolled the stool away and arose. "I've warmed a place for you already," Liara said to Shepard with a beam and patted the area.

"Gonna partake in another celery dinner?" he teased.

"Perhaps I'll try some of that cream cheese as you suggested." Both ladies left, and Shepard held up a hand to dismiss Miranda's curious eyebrow as he sat down on the gurney.

"Can you believe that the Asari don't use cream cheese?"

"No," Miranda said and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Especially since there were several hors d'ouevres I've partaken of in Asari restaurants in Nos Astra that included it. T'Soni's mother may have simply not introduced it into her diet, and as a result, Liara never knew about cream cheese until you mentioned it."

"How bizarre. She went through an entire century without ever hearing about it either," he mused and watched Miranda as she scooted the stool behind him. She next wheeled over the tray with her supplies and fiddled with the stool's pneumatics to pump it up to the correct height that she needed. As soon as she sidled herself onto it, he turned back around and folded his hands in his lap. "And I thought that _I _was the bumpkin who didn't know much about gourmet food."

"Well, you did liken Mess Sergeant Gardner's penne alfredo to anything better than what you had back on Earth or at home," Miranda reminded him. "I rather doubt he could have properly made a souffle or a batch of croissants from scratch." She sighed as she began to clean the wound. "What I wouldn't give for a crepe slathered in Nutella, banana, and whipped cream now. The Asari did replicate them authentically on Illium."

"Aren't all those things hard to make?" he inquired.

"They aren't easy. Pie crusts are quite difficult to master as well."

"Wait a minute, didn't you tell me that your father didn't give you any gastronomical talents?" He gasped through his teeth as he felt a tinge of discomfort.

"He didn't, but I certainly ate well, and up until last year, that was a definite priority of mine. You don't have to be a professional chef to appreciate great food."

"No, you don't," Shepard agreed and shifted around as she applied a tad of some medi-gel. "Miranda, I have a question for you."

"Is this one where you're going to need to make eye contact with me and fidget? Because I'm getting to close to a point where I'm going to need to operate with extreme precision as I insert the needle, and if you move around, you'll upset what I'm doing."

"Sitting still in front of the woman I love is pretty dang hard. Have some mercy, Ms. Lawson."

"Well, you'll just have to exert some self control for the next fifteen minutes, Commander, lest you want to be pricked several hundred times. And after that, some more caution will need to be exercised while the stitches are keeping your flesh together."

He remained silent for a moment as she prepared the needle and thought. "No, I don't think that it will require any movement on my part. Have you used the general anesthetic yet upon the entry point?"

"That's what you just felt a moment ago, yes." Once again, he paused for a great deal before continuing. "I hope that _that _wasn't the question."

"No, it wasn't. Um…Admiral Anderson asked me to ask something of you. I said that I would when we blew Cronos Station to kingdom come, so…"

She inserted the needle below his skin. "He wants me to join the Hammer forces on Earth, doesn't he?"

Shepard nervously swallowed a lump in his throat the size of a krogan dumpling. "Yes," he replied. "As much as I want you desperately by my side again down there, I…I know how much the Alliance could use biotic support. And you're nearly a better shot than I am, so you'll damn well scare the hell outta the Reaper troops."

"Nearly, hmm?" Miranda momentarily ceased her stitching as one of her knees went to poke him in the back. As he flinched upward, she gently shoved him back down by the shoulders and went back to work. "Sorry, Shepard, that was my fault."

"You know, Jack's down there, in London. Maybe you'll even get a couple of shots in at her and finish what you both started down there in the cargo hold or in your office?"

"The thought had occurred to me." Before he could start to turn his neck, she pressed down upon his shoulder firmly with the palms of her hands to discourage him. "But to win this war, we need every single ounce of strength that humanity has. And if that includes using a childish woman with impressive biotic powers that rival the Asari, I can put aside my dissimilitudes. You won't need to interfere with us again."

"Uh-huh, and what if the two of you survive it? Who'd win in a fight?"

"That depends upon the circumstances. Being a soldier, I don't think that I need to explain them to you."

"What if they were in your favor? I mean, could you still kill Jack?"

"I'll only fight one war at a time, Shepard. Pondering how to wage the next one is not how I'd like to spend my future," Miranda stated. "And to answer your question, tell your Admiral Anderson that yes, I'll go. I don't want to leave your side either, but I owe you for Sanctuary. If that's how I can repay the favor to you, then-"

"It's not for me, it's for Earth," he interrupted her. "And I'll make sure that Oriana is safe, unless you'd rather keep her here on the Normandy."

"She's an adult, Shepard; she should make her own choices now. I'll never stop worrying about her, but I need to step away from this one."

"Speaking about worry, we should talk about what you did on Horizon."

"Why? What's done is done."

"Because the first time we met on the Citadel after the invasion on Earth began, you told me that you'd call me if you needed to have a door kicked down. To my knowledge, you didn't even try, Miranda, and that's what makes me upset." He pursed his lips together and rubbed his knuckles with the pads of his fingers. "I realize _why_ that confrontation needed to happen, but I wanted to be there with you every step of the way. The reason why I got shot up so much during that mission was that I was running around like a goddamned idiot trying to get to you as fast as I could."

"You're right, Shepard. I should have called you." Miranda paused from her work and placed her lips upon his left cheek. "Asking for help is still a huge struggle for me. Back during the Collector mission, it took me two whole days to decide whether to ask for your help with Ori or not." She then continued to mend his shoulder. "But I'm glad that I did."

"As am I. But please, no matter how insignificant the problem might seem to you, even if it requires me to wear a damned formal suit…I want to be there for you, Miranda. Can you promise me that?"

"As long as it's mutual. You may have a team of squad mates here on the Normandy who have been with you from the beginning and now a myriad of both organic and non-organic fleets at your command, Shepard. However, I know that to a degree, you still feel alone. We're both such independent people, but now…we need one another more than ever."

"Yes, we do," he admitted.

She withdrew herself from finishing up the stitches long enough to peer over his shoulder at his hands, which were clenching. "Now what I'm doing here couldn't_ possibly_ be causing you any pain."

"You're not. I'm just restraining myself from turning wildly around, throwing my arms around you, and pulling you into my lap with the hottest kiss you'll ever get."

"Hmm…lofty promise, Commander. Would you mind the audience?" she whispered into his ear. Both of them turned their attention to the mess, which was absolutely full of both humans and aliens.

Shepard exhaled deeply and pointed to his shoulder. "Yes, because it means that once I start, I won't be able to stop. Are these stitches waterproof?" he asked with a lopsided evil grin.

"They might be," Miranda replied noncommittally and went back to her work.

"Miranda Lawson, you'd better answer the question or else audience be damned." He jerked his thumb towards the mess.

She laughed through her nose at his impatience. "That's a yes. I might have purloined some of the Shadow Broker's body wash yesterday, too."

"You did what?"

"Chamomile and tea flowers. If I remember correctly, lavender's the one that _really_ will get you going for hours upon end. Pity that she didn't have any." She shrugged, cut some gauze from a roll, and held it steadily as she reached for some tape.

Chakwas came back from the mess and gave them both a large beam. "Hmm, with the looks that I've been seeing from the two of you, I suppose that you won't be having lunch with the crew anytime soon, will you?" she wondered.

"It's a safe bet," Miranda nodded and tapped his shoulder after attaching the last piece of tape to it. "For being a good patient this time, I have no intention of dismissing his desires."

"Nor do I of yours, Lawson." He bent over to collect his armor from the floor but did not catch the fact that he actually did make her blush upon her exit from the infirmary.

"I never actually did mention this before, Commander, but, those windows can actually be tinted for privacy. It was another convenience that Cerberus added, and one that the Alliance didn't bother to modify," Chakwas commented and motioned a finger to the windows. "It's accessible through my terminal here, as is a secondary command to lock the door." His mouth opened slightly, and he was rendered completely speechless. She shrugged and gave him a cruel grin. "Mind you that my omni-tool can still override the terminal. Well, let's have a look at those stitches."

Shepard obediently walked over to her and let her inspect Miranda's handiwork. "How'd she do, Doc? Am I gonna live?"

"I couldn't have done a better job myself, Shepard. That doesn't give you a license to get yourself injured on purpose, though. I'll pull rank if necessary."

"Miranda's not part of the Alliance. What're you-"

"I was referring to you, Shepard," Chakwas chortled. "My service record with the Alliance dates back to before your birth. Go on, now. Get some R & R; Doctor's orders."

"It's been an honor to serve with you, Karin."

"Likewise, Commander Shepard," she bowed her head. "The journey has been long and difficult for both of us, but as I've said before, I have no regrets. Blessings be upon you, old friend.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Orbit of Saradril, Pranas cluster, Annos Basin System

Normandy SR-2 Vid Com Room, 1919h

Shepard nervously paced as he waited for both Admirals Hackett and Anderson to appear on the QEC. This was it. The final battles for Earth would begin tonight, and humanity was not alone in the fight any longer. There was peace between the krogans and the turians, peace between the geth and quarians, and finally a decent amount of respect for humanity, not just fear or doubt. But it could all end tomorrow morning if they didn't regain control of the Citadel. And just what in sam hell would the Crucible do when it docked with the Citadel?

"Commander, are you ready to bring the Reapers down with the rest of the galaxy's best?" Hackett inquired as his image came into view.

"Yes, sir. But before we do that, I'd like to update you upon Ms. Lawson's decision and ask if I may, another favor," Shepard informed them with a salute.

"You may, Shepard." Hackett returned the salute.

"Ms. Lawson will join the Hammer forces on the ground. We'll be bringing her down with my squad to London to join you, sir."

"Good, we'll take all the help that we can get. Have you heard about the Citadel, Shepard?" Anderson asked and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"I have. The Citadel is the missing piece we've all been scrambling for; the Catalyst."

Anderson brought up an image from his omni-tool. "And if that isn't bad enough, we've got another complication."

"Shit. The arms are closed-gotta get 'em open," Shepard pounded a fist onto the rail in front of him.

"Mmm, yes, and there's a conduit beam here that the Reapers have set up in London." The image changed to illustrate Anderson's point. "No one knows why it's there for sure, but they may be sending bodies through it. And there's more bad news-sorry to keep piling it up on top of you like this."

"I'd be out of a job if all we heard was good news," Shepard said with a shrug.

"There's a cannon that's preventing the majority of Hammer from landing and dealing with the destroyer that's guarding that conduit beam."

"We'll deal with it, Anderson. Just keep holding the line with the resistance like you've been doing."

"The Sword fleets will begin their entry into the Sol relay in five minutes," Hackett told them both. "This process will take the majority of the evening, so anticipate all of the fleets' arrival in Earth's orbit to be at approximately 0500 hours. The strike will begin once all fleets have been accounted for and only upon Shepard's orders. The last of the convoy will be the ships protecting the Crucible."

"It'll be good to see some more friendly faces," Anderson nodded and gave his colleagues a thin smile. "Anderson out."

"Commander, I assume this favor is personal?"

"It is, Admiral. I'd like to place Miranda's sister, Oriana Lawson on an Alliance ship in the Fifth Fleet. She is a civilian, sir, but she has been studying communication protocols with Communication Specialist Traynor and catching on remarkably fast. I would send her back to her parents, but I don't know where they are."

"We are running short of bodies," Hackett agreed and glanced away. It appeared that he was studying a list. "I believe that the SSV Benjamin Davis could use an extra pair of eyes for the current communications specialist. After I come aboard the Normandy to assess the fleets, we'll bring her aboard my ship and brief her about her assignment."

"Much obliged, Admiral, sir. Shepard out." Shepard journeyed back to the CIC to approach Specialist Traynor, who immediately turned around to greet him.

"Commander, have you got a minute?" she wondered.

"I was just about to ask y_ou_ that question, Traynor," he chuckled and waggled an eyebrow at her. "You must be psychic."

"Well, I did happen to purchase a crystal necklace the last time we were on the Citadel. Anyhow, sir, Javik would like a moment of your time in the port cargo hold. And, should I not be able to say it later on, it's been an honor to serve under you, Commander Shepard." Traynor stiffened up to give him a salute, and he returned it.

"Likewise, Specialist Traynor. You're a credit to the uniform."

"So…uh…should we all survive this attack and kick the Reaper's proverbial asses back out into dark space, can I get a date out of you for a rematch?"

"You can bet that I'll make it a priority. And this time, you'll be the one pounded into submission." He gave her a wicked grin, which she also returned.

"Challenge accepted, Commander."

Shepard spun around on his heel to head towards the lift but then halted in his tracks. "Oh, and Traynor?" He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Yes, sir?"

"Oriana Lawson will be accompanying Hackett after he makes his rendezvous with the Normandy to the SSV Benjamin Davis. I noticed that she's been catching onto your lessons extremely fast and asked her if she'd like to go. Would you mind giving her a bit of a heads up as to what she can expect? Hackett said that he'll brief her, but since you were a civilian and can remember what that feels like more recently than any of us, well…"

"I'd be happy to do that, sir. In fact, I've just got one or two more responsibilities left for the night, so I can do it in about ten minutes."

"Thanks, Samantha. Take care of yourself."

Shepard passed his hand over the port cargo hold's sensor and opened the door. Javik sat upon his floor mat, his legs were folded together, one underneath the other, and his eyes opened when Shepard walked inside. "You wanted to see me, Javik?"

"Yes. The time has come for us to begin our final fight against the Reapers, Commander, and I sensed that it is now appropriate for me to address you should we not have a chance to speak once we are down on your planet."

"I think that we will, but, please, tell me what's on your mind." Shepard joined Javik on the floor and sat in front of him.

"I've mentioned that you should not care what others think many times, Commander. Perhaps…I was wrong." He turned his head to notate an image of the previous Normandy that was slowly rotating upon the holo screen. "There is another reason why I act the way that I do besides the fact that I am haunted by the complete annihilation of my people. I have been studying your previous ship and reading about the actions of its previous members. You died in a surprise attack, did you not?"

"Yes, by the Collectors," Shepard nodded. "That's why this ship was previously owned by Cerberus. They resurrected me so that I could fight against the Reapers. Sound familiar?"

"Indeed it does, Commander. I had a ship of my own to command as well. Many of its crew members were closely tied together. We all knew one another's thoughts."

"Sometimes I'm glad that I don't have that ability that you do. I'd rather not know what everyone is thinking or feeling on the inside." Shepard leaned back on his palms. "I have a hard enough time dealing with them all when those feelings all suddenly come out. Was that sensory ability of yours able to detect when your crew was about to get into a quarrel?"

"Only when I was in close proximity with them. But regardless of that, you also have more than camaraderie. You and the human female biotic…you are joined, are you not?" His four eyes seemed to pierce themselves right through Shepard's like a recently sharpened sword.

"Yes, you could say that."

"I'm not. Your pheromones speak for themselves. I sense them stronger now than ever since she joined the ship." The Prothean arose and walked over to the tub to wash his hands.

"Sorry."

"I have not explored the Asari's office, but I believe that I am correct in saying that those accommodations used to belong to your lover?" He turned to look at Shepard.

"Yes, they did."

"Your spirits are in harmony; she is truly your equal. Should you two have offspring, they will also share the best of both of your traits." He deliberately waited for Shepard's eyes to stop wandering the room before he went on. "I have also felt her presence with yours nearly everywhere else on this ship: the observation decks, the medical bay, and…" his eyes narrowed, "the engine control room. Were your own quarters not sufficient?"

"I assume that you're leading up to a point here, Javik," Shepard's jaw tensed up and he cleared his throat as he deflected the Prothean's query.

"I am. All of my colleagues on my ship became indoctrinated after it was captured by the Reapers. I alone escaped and became hunted by them all later on." Javik took a few steps toward Shepard. "Remember that this tactic is deeply favored by the Reapers, Commander. Yesterday, I took a glimpse of the pain in the Echo shard. My weapon had no more ammunition during the battle of the Cronian Nebula; I had only my knife left. The only way that I was able to survive it was to slit each of my men's throats, one by one. I stayed behind to ensure that they bled to death."

"Javik, I…don't know what to…that must have been…-"

"I am not recounting the story because I desire your pity, Commander. I have shared it with you because there is a remote chance that you will have to do the same thing one day. And upon that day, I came upon an epiphany. I do _not_ wish it for you."

"What was that?"

"There is no such thing as a 'good war'. It is committed purely in the name of cruelty and survival. I wish that I had never learned that truth."

Shepard remained taciturn for a few moments as he considered the Prothean's wisdom and arose. "When it's the only thing you've ever known…"

"A great moment lies ahead of you, Commander, and for all life. Prepare yourself to do what you must. That is all." Javik turned around again, and Shepard left.

Orbit of Halegeuse, Pranas cluster, Annos Basin System

Normandy SR-2 Port Observation Room, 2004h

As Miranda traveled into the recreation room, she witnessed Ashley Williams handing over a bottle of wine to Oriana as well as a corkscrew and two glasses. Williams splashed some ginger ale into a very full glass of what appeared to be some sort of whiskey as well as two large ice cubes. She then left the bar, gave Miranda a curt greeting, and walked out of the room back to her own quarters.

"I'm glad that you came; I was afraid that Sam forgot to tell you to meet me here," Oriana's face lit up. She rushed over to the table in front of the couch closest to the poker table, gave Miranda the corkscrew, and set the glasses down as well as the wine bottle. "I thought that before I left, we could have a toast celebrating the success of your previous mission."

"Yes, I suppose you could call part of it successful," Miranda nodded and sat down next to her. She rotated the bottle towards herself so that she could read the label. "A Bordeaux from Earth? Did Williams say who gave this to the Normandy?"

"Hmm…I think that she mentioned someone named Dr. Chloe Michel who gave it to her when she was in the hospital on the Citadel. She said that she wanted to give Shepard something more than her words for something he did for her clinic years ago, whatever that means," Oriana said with a waive of her hand. "Do you know what she was talking about? Ash was going to tell me the story, then you came in, and I guess well, that'll have to wait for another day."

"No, I don't, Ori. You could ask him yourself, you know." The Aussie inserted the corkscrew precisely in the middle of the cork and began to twist it downward.

"I do. So I've never had French wine or _any_ kind of wine for that matter before. Is it good?"

"That depends on a lot of variables. The most expensive wine isn't necessarily the best tasting wine, either. But the French people are known for making quite exquisite wine, as are the Asari." She lifted the cork perfectly out of the bottle and poured a tad into both glasses. Oriana frowned and gave her sister a puzzled expression.

"Why didn't you fill it up all the way? I'm not planning on drinking the whole bottle tonight, you know."

"It's part of the tasting process, Ori. Now lift your glass up to your nose and inhale the bouquet," Miranda instructed her and completed the action herself.

"Okay, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be smelling here." Oriana did as she was told and took a deep inhale. "It's not exactly a bunch of flowers."

"Did your adopted parents ever drink?"

"Yeah, but they never told me anything about it other than 'you're too young' and 'we'll let you take a sip of it someday'. But they never did," Oriana said with a roll of her eyes. "Okay, I've smelled it, now what?"

"Think of what it reminds you of. I don't expect you to specifically be able to pick out what kind of fruit, spices, or type of barrel that it was fermented in. Not all wine is made only from grapes, you know," Miranda said and crossed her legs. "Now while you're holding onto that memory, bring the glass up to your lips and let the wine settle to the front of your mouth. Swish it all around your mouth so that you can fully taste it upon every single cell on your tongue. Now this is the important part, Ori. Close your eyes and think of something pleasant while you savor the taste. Then when you've gotten to the best part of it, let the wine pour down your throat."

Miranda waited until Oriana tipped the glass up to her mouth, swirled it around in her mouth, and obeyed her. A smile crossed Miranda's face once Oriana closed her eyes to concentrate as she tasted the wine herself. Seconds later, Oriana's eyes reopened, and she put the glass back down onto the table. "Could I have some more, please, 'Randa? It was really great!"

"Of course." Miranda picked up the bottle and gave her sister a full serving this time as well as one herself. "So, what did you think about?"

"The first time Danner and I kissed. We'd gone out to the library at school for a group study session, and we were talking on the way home. He mentioned that he'd taken a sneak peek at the research paper that I was writing for 20th Century North American history while I was in the bathroom, and that I needed to fix my footnotes as well as my punctuation. Can you believe that our professor wanted them all printed out on paper? How crazy is that? Danner then apologized for not asking first but then said that it was a good thing that he'd looked at it. Professor Baum would have given it back to me to redo before he'd even finish reading it."

"Strict man," Miranda nodded and took a sip of her wine. "What happened next?"

"I don't know; the next thing I can remember is that we weren't talking anymore, and I was floating. Or at least, well, it felt like I was floating," she giggled as she drank some of her own. "What did you think about? When was your first kiss and who was it with? Or were you thinking when you and Shepard first kissed?"

"Well, I…uh-" Miranda twirled the wine about the glass as she pondered her sister's question. "I wasn't actually thinking about…"

_No, don't tell her about him yet. Wait until she's at least had a full glass in her._

_ Are you kidding? Don't draw it out! Get it over with so that it won't be last thing you talk about!_

"'Randa?" Oriana's voice brought Miranda back to the real world. "Are you there?"

"Mmm, yes, sorry, Ori. I was remembering the night that I came back to Father's house for you." Miranda lied, consumed some more of her wine, and switched legs. She had indeed been thinking about her relationship with Shepard.

"I thought you said to pick out something good," Oriana commented with a frown.

"Well, a lot of good came out of what I did, Ori. Getting you out of there was the best thing I ever did, aside from bringing Shepard back from the dead."

"What time was it? Did you sneak in like a spy on one of those vids?"

"I distracted the guards at the front gate by setting off some of Father's car alarms in his private garage. While they were pre-occupied with the commotion, I disabled the cameras, hacked the gate's lock, and went for the mansion. I had an inside man, or a woman, I should say, that wanted to help me with my plan. That was your nanny Patricia. She'd disclosed the location of a place that she'd meet me on the grounds with you and head back to the mansion before anyone knew what had happened. To make things easier, we did this on a night that Father was away on business. She made sure that the guards around the floor where your room was were comfortable watching some kind of sport on the vid screen with a few refreshments that she'd doctored."

"You mean she drugged their food and drink?" Oriana wondered and took another sip from her glass.

"Exactly. When she was satisfied that they were all incapacitated, she grabbed you and came to me. We met under the tree where I broke my arm once. Then after she went back to the house, she started to scream bloody murder that you were missing from your crib. As planned, everyone went into hysterics trying to find you, and I slipped out the front gate into the dead of night back into my rented car." Miranda let some more wine slide down her throat. "No one was the wiser."

"What happened to Patricia?"

The Aussie sighed. "I don't know. I never heard from her again, so I can assume that either she was too frightened to write or talk to me, or…-"

"Father made her disappear?"

"I hope not, but, well, if she didn't tell him what he wanted to know," Miranda shrugged. "You saw what he was capable of, Ori. I wish you hadn't, I really do."

"There's something else that you want to tell me," Oriana pronounced after examining her sibling for a long hard minute. "What is it, 'Randa?"

"It's n…" Miranda corrected herself. "It's some bad news that I have to tell you…about Danner…-"

"What happened?" Oriana put the glass onto the table so that she wouldn't drop it in shock. She suddenly gasped as she inferred what her sister was going to say. "Is he-"

Miranda swallowed hard. "Yes. The Shadow Broker's agents searched through Freedom's Progress. No one was alive. I'm sorry, Ori." She could not bear to tell her sister that Danner could have been taken to Sanctuary alive and turned into a husk. That was even worse than discovering that he was dead.

"Was it the Reapers?"

Miranda finished her wine and also set down her glass next to her sister's. "We don't know. There was a lot of rubble, and the Broker's agents couldn't linger in the system for too long. It is in a Reaper controlled system, Ori, but…-"

"I understand. Do you know the Shadow Broker?"

"I have a connection to the person, yes," Miranda nodded. _In more ways than one_.

"Can you get a message out to him or her?"

"There's a remote possibility, yes. Why?"

"Tell him or her thank you for me, at least for looking." She brought her hands over her eyes. "At least…" her voice grew shaky. "At least I know now." Tears finally came through her eyes, and Miranda brought an arm around her to give her a tight hug.

"I'm afraid I'm not very good at offering words of comfort, Ori, but I'm here to listen, too, if that helps any."

Oriana buried her eyes into Miranda's shoulder. "Just…just tell me another story. If I keep thinking about his eyes or his voice…or about what happened to Mom and Dad..." she sobbed and trailed off as another round of tears hit her.

"Well, I suppose that I could finally tell you about why your family had to move other than the reason 'that it's for your safety'," Miranda remarked with a deep exhale. "Although since you're just as smart as I am, you'll know that it was because Father had tracked you down."

"Yeah, I do," the younger woman sniffled. "What happened?"

"While we were on the mission to stop the Collectors, I'd heard from my contacts on Illium that Father was doing some inquiries of his own. Many of them led to the neighborhood where your family lived, and he even had someone watching you while you were at university. That was enough to arouse my doubts that you were no longer safe in Nos Astra, and that's why you and your family were moved to New Cousteau on Trident."

"So you were there, in Nos Astra with Shepard at the transport station. I'm guessing that not everything went exactly as you planned, did it?" Oriana pulled away from Miranda's embrace and wiped her eyes.

"There were a few…mmm…complications, yes. I'm sure you've heard of the mercenary band called the Eclipse?"

"Oh yeah. I saw them hanging out at Eternity all the time either bragging or complaining about their jobs."

"One of their commandoes was hired by Father to bring you back to him no matter what. Shepard and I dealt with them all."

Oriana retrieved her glass and began to finish the remaining portion from it. "There was another complication, wasn't there?"

"Yes. The only friend that I'd kept before and after I ran away, Niket, was supposed to come along and escort the three of you to Trident. Only Father got to him first before I could tell him the truth about myself or what I'd done for you. Naturally, he manipulated Niket into thinking that what he was doing for you was for your own good and made me sound like a pathological liar or a common criminal. So Niket volunteered to bring you back to him."

Miranda lifted the bottle up to offer some more to Oriana, who held up a hand and shook her head 'no'. She filled her own glass halfway and then set the bottle back down. "When I confronted Niket about this, he confessed everything to me and accused me of being hypocritical," she glowered.

"So what happened next?"

"I didn't want Father to be able to somehow manipulate Niket again into kidnapping you or reporting your whereabouts to him, so I was about to end his life."

"Did you reconsider your actions or did Shepard interfere?"

"He stopped me. Niket ended up dead, nonetheless," Miranda mused and shook her head. "The asari commando shot him in the back. Watching him get gunned down by a complete stranger…I lost any remaining control over my emotions then and there. That last push to get to the transport station, to get to you, Ori, was no longer a simple task. It became a quest." She downed another bit of wine. "But at least Niket tried to redeem himself, in the end."

"I'm so glad that you came over to talk to me and my parents. When I first saw you, it looked like you were having second thoughts about it."

"You're right, I certainly did. But Shepard talked me into it, and at the time, none of us knew if we were going to come back from the Omega 4 relay. I didn't want to regret not knowing anything about you if I, well…if I were dead."

"And what about Shepard? I mean," Oriana picked up the wine bottle and set her eyes upon studying the label. "Before the Normandy went through the Omega 4 relay on your suicide mission, did the two of you…you know…?" She made a sweeping motion in the air with her hand.

"Ori…"

"Come on, 'Randa, spill it. We're not talking in some online chat room. It's just the two of us in here." Oriana put the bottle back down and stared her sister down.

"All right, fine," Miranda caved. "Yes, Shepard and I consummated our relationship before we went through the Omega 4 relay."

"And…"

"And then the Normandy went through the Omega 4 relay to the Collector base, simple as that."

"You're not getting off that easily, 'Randa. I saw how his eyes were devouring you back at the transport station in Nos Astra. You couldn't have been wearing any clothes in the fantasy that his mind was painting. You have _got _to tell me how your first time with him was."

"At the time, the Normandy was wired with nearly every single kind of audio or vid monitoring device you could possibly imagine. The Illusive Man wanted tabs on everyone to ensure himself and probably Cerberus' backers that their investments were being wisely utilized. I selected a place that could easily catch interference or be subverted which was right near the drive core in the engine room."

Oriana's mouth dropped slightly open, and she gestured towards the floor. "That same engine room I saw downstairs?"

"Well, this _is_ the same ship, Ori. It's just got Alliance colors, somber ambient lighting, and their personnel now," Miranda declared with a shrug.

"So you two didn't do it in either of your rooms because the Illusive Man would be watching you? Ugh. Wait, wait, why didn't you just disable the bugs in either place?"

"Because it'd be a lot easier to blame my sabotage in the engine room upon a capacitor's discharge from the drive core as we had passed through the Omega 4 relay than it would be to explain any damage in Shepard's or my quarters."

"Right, and you didn't quit Cerberus until a little later on. Okay, but you _still_ haven't answered my question, 'Randa," Oriana pressed and shook her sister's knee. "How was he? Did he have the largest gun in the galaxy like the magazines say?"

Miranda's eyes widened with shock. "Ori." After another moment of pause, she drained all of the wine from the glass, set it down, and uncrossed her legs. "It wasn't…amazing. But we were kind of rushed for time then, so…I'll say that it was nice. Later on, he…" she felt her cheeks flush. Perhaps the feeling was from the high alcohol content of wine she just consumed. "Later on after the suicide mission was over, we made love again. And we spent hours together. I never dreamed that a soldier would or ever could do the things that he…" she trailed off as she lost herself in the moment. "Well, never mind. I'm sure that you can use your own imagination."

"I'd rather hear it from you, but fine," Oriana pursed her lips together tightly. "It's obvious that you'll need a whole bottle of this stuff to loosen up." She made a gesture to the wine and arose from the couch. "I'm glad that we could share a drink and some secrets together finally."

"So am I, Ori," Miranda proudly announced with a beam. She also got up and gave her a hug. "We'll be fine down there on Earth. Don't worry."

Oriana returned the hug. "I love you, 'Randa."

"I love you, too, Ori."

**A/N**-I received a message late last night asking me to advertise this, so I'd be more than happy to do so. There is a project currently going on by quite a few fans of Miranda; as I understand it, this project is a conglomeration of art, essays, and stories from them all. This will be physically delivered to Bioware, and a virtual one also will be available to all who wish to view it online. I'm not sure which office this book will be delivered to or precisely when that will happen; however, I do know that the deadline for all submissions is on May 30th. These submissions can be made through the group on the Bioware Social Network called the Miranda FanBook Group. I am currently debating whether I should also contribute to it myself, but that's a moot point right now since I haven't even finished my novel. Oh, and here is the "official" website link:

wwwholdthelinecom/threads/miranda-fan-book-project.1576/

.com/threads/miranda-fan-book-project.1576

Happy writing, drawing, painting, or photo shopping! (I'm still amazed by how talented some people are with graphics. I could never do that myself).


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Orbit of Themis, Arcturus cluster, Arcturus System

Normandy SR-2 Shepard's Quarters, 2344h

"NO! MIRANDA!" Shepard screamed at the top of his lungs, lurched out of their spooned embrace, and awoke in a sweat. She rolled over and propped herself up on an elbow as he sat with his back to her on the edge of the bed.

"Shepard, I'm right here," her voice cracked as she groggily opened her eyes. After wiping some of the debris that had settled upon them for the night away, her hand reached up to trace a scar upon his back. "What's the matter, did you have another nightmare?"

"We're down on Earth in another hot and heavy fight. The Reapers have gotten our unit in deep, we were surrounded on every single damn side, and a harvester just took out the rest of your squad two streets away from us. I couldn't think straight, couldn't focus. Garrus and James were with me, yelling at me to push forward towards a pair of missiles that would send that destroyer protecting the conduit to Hell."

"Then what happened?" Her fingers now ran smoothly back and forth across the small of his back, sending small ripples of biotic energy to his flesh. The action made his breathing slow down a little, but not by much.

"I took down two pairs of cannibals that tried to outflank us. Garrus overloaded the marauder who was bolstering their strength and took him out. James lobbed a frag grenade at a whole ton of husks that started to charge upon us, and that's when…that's when I saw a brute come rushing by me and head to you. Then more of them followed him into the alley. There's no way that anyone could survive a charge from more than one of those bastards. So I broke away from my team and rushed after those animals to get to you. One of them heard me and turned around."

"Shepard…" Miranda sat up, planted a kiss onto the back of his neck, and wrapped both of her arms around his abdomen. Her cool forehead made contact with him, and she blew out some air from her mouth onto his perspiring flesh.

"I took out the son of a bitch with some several shotgun blasts loaded with incendiary ammo to the face. When he fell down to the ground, I hopped over his corpse and chased after the rest of them. But I was too late." He paused and hung his head. "You were still alive but barely hanging on when I got to you."

She hugged him more tightly now and began to rock the both of their bodies gingerly.

"I had plenty of medi-gel to spare, for once, and I was about to give you a really concentrated amount, but you took me into your arms and told me not to do it. You said that…that I had more important things to do, that I needed to keep going on no matter what."

"And did you?"

"I…" a breath hitched in his lungs as he thought for a moment. "I couldn't save you. You'd lost too much blood." He tore himself away from their embrace, got up from the bed, and put on a pair of boxers that were strewn on the floor beside his place. "Fuck it, Miranda. Let's just take the Normandy and go to the Perseus Veil or something. Or maybe the Valhallan Threshold. We just re-fueled not too long ago."

"You can't seriously mean that, Shepard." Miranda also left the bed, slipped her robe on, and went into the bathroom to splash some water onto her face.

He snarled and slammed a fist onto the bureau near his bed. "No, I don't. I know what has to be done. And I'm ready to do it."

"Then don't you dare to submerge yourself into the depths of despair," Miranda quietly scolded him and returned from the bathroom. "We both may not survive this fight. But you knew that going through the Omega 4 relay, too. And although I wasn't there, I'm sure that your trip to Ilos felt the same. How does this feel different for you?"

"Because…" he struggled with his words. "Because we won't be fighting together. And I now know that I couldn't go on living without you."

She padded down the stairs and touched his shoulder. He turned around and made complete eye contact with her.

"I love you, Miranda. I've never been more sure of any feeling in my life than this. Losing you would-"

She silenced him with an extremely slow and tender kiss. He roughly pulled her closer and squeezed both of their bodies as firmly as he possibly could without causing them discomfort. Miranda broke away first and leaned her forehead against his. "I complained about them once before, but right now, I really don't mind losing control over my hormones, Shepard," she finally confessed. "I _hate_ this bloody war. And I'm almost regretting that I said I'd help your admiral Anderson now."

"How many lives are we losing right now while the two of us are here enjoying ourselves?" His voice turned into a whisper. "Why am I the one who gets the girl at the end of the day while some people live their lives totally alone or heart broken?"

Her hands cupped both of his cheeks and caressed them with her thumbs. "Because _you_ are the one who has sacrificed so much for the galaxy. I think that you deserve five or ten minutes a day to yourself out of the rest of the twenty-three and a half hours that you give to everyone else. Actions are more important than words, Shepard. Most people are all talk, but you're not." She reclaimed her hands and gestured to the couch with her head. "Come on. You won't be able to sleep for at least another hour."

"Well, there are _other_ ways to amend that situation," he grinned and followed her as she sat down.

"There'll be time for that later. We're ready for another chat."

"Another deep and dark secret from the sexy but mysterious Miranda Lawson." Shepard pretended to hold up a microphone to his lips and passed it to her mouth. "Take it away, Ms. Lawson."

"Ugh, don't remind me about that reporter." She rolled her eyes. "Trying to avoid her is worse than evading a salarian certified public accountant. I'd rather catch a case of the bubonic plague first."

"Tell me about it. She's already asked about the two of us a dozens times over. If I didn't need her to bolster our allied forces' resolve, I would have kicked her off of the ship long ago."

"Right, well, I told you that I'd discovered that my father was making another clone of me…Oriana. Well, I never told you precisely how that happened."

"Should I make some popcorn?" Shepard retorted.

"This happened before I ran away, mind you," Miranda said and brushed some of her hair behind her ears. "I was on my way to sneak out of the house to go see a movie with Niket; naturally Father had forbidden me to do so because it was on a school night. But before I even left the house, I overheard an altercation that was occurring between my father and one of his employees on the vid com. The subordinate reiterated that he and his colleagues were working as fast as they could, but that they had too many other genetic projects and not enough scientists on the payroll to push Oriana's test tube creation any farther along than it should be."

"So they were in the process of synthesizing her already when you found out?"

"Yes. My father said that he had already selected a surrogate mother for the in vitro fertilization, and that they were limited by time. The employee said that if they were given the proper time, then no surrogate mother would even be needed, unlike the last subject they had successfully made. That was me, of course." Miranda pointed to herself and crossed her legs. "And it was at that point, too, that I found out that I never truly had a mother."

"You mean that your father lied about you having one in the first place?" Shepard's face twisted into disbelief. Then he shook his head. "Of course he did."

"Henry Lawson had carefully crafted this lie to perfection. Well, it was enough to fool me for nearly fifteen years, anyhow. Whether it was to keep up appearances for his house guests or simply to keep me at bay; I'll never know the real reason. He had pictures of her on the fireplace mantel, vid footage of a wedding, and women's clothing in his closet. The vid footage was filmed from far enough away with only the backs of everyone's heads in sight. The sound was so poor that even I couldn't tell that it wasn't truly his voice."

"What?"

She held up a hand to stop him from outbursting any further. "There's more. He even had two wedding rings framed and hanging in the living room in the mansion. I'm sure that he probably had them engraved just in case I demanded to see proof of it, too." Miranda tapped her index finger upon her chin pensively. "But now that I think of it, he never actually had pictures of her in his bedroom. And I never saw him express any kind of sorrow over my supposed mother's death. He'd always change the subject whenever I'd ask about her, saying that it was too painful to talk about. Or he'd snap at me so that I'd be too frightened to do so in the future."

"Unbelievable." Shepard cracked his knuckles.

"After I heard that conversation, I knew that I had to get away from him and her, too, someday. But, I needed a place to go first. Six months later, just after my sixteenth birthday, I did."

"He didn't have his men shoot at you on your birthday, did he?" Shepard's face dimmed, and she took his hand in hers.

"No. He gave me the car then. It was after I rammed it through his garage door a month later to make my escape that the gunfire occurred."

"Have you ever told this to anyone else?"

She shook her head 'no' and gave his hand a squeeze. "I haven't even told Oriana about it yet." Although his ego soared through the roof upon this revelation, he remained reticent and gave her a nod.

"Well, here's a story from me that isn't in the vids that depict me as the almighty Hercules. My mom was a quiet but strong woman. Like a certain other gorgeous lady I know, she spoke more with her actions than her words and made the best desserts a boy could ever eat. You know that we were farmers, but you may not know that my dad had developed Mindoir's first baseball league. It was all amateur of course, and nobody got paid to play." Shepard lifted their hands up to his mouth and kissed hers. "I remember going to the games, watching my dad pitch, and scarfing as many hot dogs down my throat as my mom would let me. Later on, I made a deal with the hot dog vendor behind her back and traded some stuff with him so that she didn't have to buy them any more."

She laughed. "Even before you reached puberty, you were already making those famous deals of yours."

"We grew indigo and cotton." He let go of their hands and brought both of his own up closer for her inspection. "That's why my hands are so rough and calloused. We had some help as well as some mechs to do the harvesting, but you need dexterity to properly pick cotton without destroying the plant. Naturally, we had some chickens and cows, too. So yes, I was the little farm boy that got up at six every morning to either milk the cow or fetch the eggs from the hens for breakfast."

"Did you have any swine?"

"No, but our neighbors did. We'd swap our eggs for their bacon sometimes or just have them over." He smiled as he thought of his earlier, much simpler life. "The Batarians attacked us just after I finished up playing a baseball game." His grin faded, and his expression darkened.

"Let me guess. You hit a grand slam to win the game."

"I wish my performance had been that stellar. It certainly would've made what happened afterward somewhat bearable." Shepard bit his lower lip and looked away. "I struck out three times that night, popped a foul that a catcher caught, and had one RBI."

"RBI?"

"Run batted in. That means that someone else was on a base and could make it home to score a run for my team. But, that RBI did break the tie in between the two teams to win the game." He shifted himself about the couch and brought one leg across the other. "On the way home from the baseball field, that was when the Batarians hit us. I only had a baseball bat and a mitt in my hands when my folks told me to run for the barn."

"Shepard." Miranda gently pushed his leg down and sat upon the side of his lap. She began to rake her fingers through his hair. "If this is too painful…"

"They said that they'd follow me inside, and my father went to go arm himself with the rifle he kept just above our front door. I started to obey him but then turned back towards our home. Two RPGs nailed our pre-fab unit after that, and then the barn caught on fire from some fuel that had leaked from the tractor."

"What happened to the Alliance? They got there eventually, didn't they?"

"Yeah. I saw 'em landing after I pulled myself out of the wreckage. Guess the Batarians thought I was dead, which is why I didn't end up as a slave."

She pulled his head onto her bosom and stroked his face. His eyes closed. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." There was silence between them for the next two minutes as his throat and chest rumbled with pleasure against her.

"Well, at least my childhood had some happy moments in it, unlike most of yours," he mused. "I could stay in this position forever and die a happy marine."

"Hmm, but not a truly _satisfied_ marine. Weren't there some other ones you wanted to try tonight?" She lightly traced the outline of his ear with a subtle hint of biotic power upon her middle finger.

His head came away from her bosom, and he gave her a debonair grin. "That reminds me, Ms. Lawson, quite a while ago, you mentioned something about some material that was in an Alliance marine training vid. We don't easily give up those possessions or mention those outside of the showers. It's time for you to…" Shepard's eyes viciously teased her, and he licked his lips. "Come clean."

"Hmm, I suppose you deserve to know," she returned his smile and arose from his lap. As she sauntered up the stairs to his bathroom, she threw a sultry glance over her shoulder as if to give him a personal invitation. The moment Miranda turned the shower's faucet on, he leapt up from the couch and flew up the stairs. Her robe smacked him lightly in the face as he opened the door. "I might have spent a little time wandering about an Alliance base full of greasy, grimy marines like yourself."

"You weren't spending time with any of them, were you?" His eyes narrowed as he stripped himself of his boxers.

"Not to their knowledge." She pulled him into the steaming hot room and teased him with several short but rapid kisses along his neck.

His larynx rumbled against her lips as he spoke again. "Where exactly were you? Was I present?"

"Perhaps," was all she said. Her next action quickened the pulse in his throat and she slid one hand down his abdomen and danced her fingers along his length.

It took all of his self control not to slam her against the wall at that point, and he was desperately trying to slow down his breathing. "Were we all wearing clothing at the time?" he choked.

"Mmm…" Miranda separated their bodies momentarily to pour some of the body wash that she'd earlier stolen from Liara onto her hands and rub them together to form a generous ball of suds. She returned to him and smoothed her hands all over his chest in a rich lather.

"Perhaps not," she finally whispered into his ear as she pulled it into her mouth.

"Ah, and…did you…" His confidence came back to him quickly. "Did you like everything that you saw, Ms. Lawson?"

As she lazily released his earlobe, she made eye contact with him, and raised an eyebrow. "I might have lingered there for a moment or two longer than I should have."

"Oh, goddamn it, woman!" he yelled and mashed her up against the wall. Her laughter reverberated all throughout the bathroom, and he literally sank his teeth into her neck.

Orbit of Arcturus Station, Arcturus System

Normandy SR-2 Cockpit, 0507h

"What's our status, Joker?" Shepard demanded as he strolled towards his pilot completely outfitted in his body armor and weapons.

"The Asari, Turian, Salarian, Geth, and Quarian fleets have all made it through the mass relay to the Sol system, Commander. No reports have come through regarding the Hanar or Batarian fleets yet, though. The Alliance is proceeding through the Arcturus relay right now. Should we join them or remain with the Crucible's escort, sir?" Joker turned his head to make eye contact with his commander.

"Let's wait until Hackett boards, then you can proceed at your discretion, Joker. But before this all happens, I've got a question for you, a favor to ask, actually."

"From me? What could I do for you, Commander?" Joker pointed to himself.

"Well, after Hackett leaves, I'd like to be able to bring someone up here to the bridge. Would it trouble you if-"

"You brought Miranda up here?" the pilot finished. He rotated his chair around to face Shepard. "Not at all, sir. I've already got my good luck charm up here, why shouldn't you have yours?" Joker motioned his thumb towards EDI.

"Jeff, you should reconsider your statements before you utter them out loud. I am _not_ your good luck charm," EDI warned him. "In fact, I am assuming your duties as of this moment."

"Uh, it looks like this argument might not end well, so let's just stop it from going on any further," Shepard intervened. Joker turned his chair back around.

"Fine…" the pilot groaned.

"Joker, this is the part where you apologize." Shepard crossed his arms.

"But I didn't say anything-"

"You did, Jeff. The remark was highly inappropriate," EDI glanced in his direction with an expression that could pass for irritation.

"Fine, I'm sorry." Joker rested his forehead upon his elbow.

"Not good enough," Shepard rebuked him and cleared his throat. "Say it like you mean it, Joker. You might fool EDI into a perfunctory apology, but not me."

The fighter jockey bit his lip hard and gripped his elbow rests with all of his might as he swallowed his pride. "I was wrong, EDI, and I'm sorry. That was rude and inconsiderate."

"Apology accepted, Jeff. As a gesture of good will and my trust, I will not make a copy of this disagreement for a later record in my servers," the AI replied.

"Phew. Thanks, Shepard," Joker sighed with relief. "I can't believe that I forgot that I'm dating someone who could do that. Do you have that problem with Miranda, too?"

"She's got a _very_ good memory, so I mind my p's and my q's around her most of the time," Shepard commented. "But not all of the time," he mumbled.

"Oops, looks like we've got an incoming communication from Admiral Hackett's flagship, sir." Joker activated the silent transmission to his holo screen. "He's requesting permission to come aboard, Commander."

"Granted." He peered outside the Normandy's port window to the Alliance cruiser that had just come alongside them. A docking tube and clamp secured itself to the Normandy, and Shepard readied the airlock to open for Hackett as well as his own escort of two guards armed only with pistols. When the LED turned green, he activated the door, and twenty seconds later, all three visitors boarded the vessel.

"Sir," Shepard saluted him and escorted the party towards the CIC. The rest of the navigation crew watched the admiral as he made his way towards the galaxy map. Those that were not occupied came to full attention with a salute, including Lt. Steve Cortez and Engineer Adams.

"The Normandy stands ready for our last jump through the Arcturus and Charon relays, Commander Shepard," Adams informed him, and Shepard gave him a nod. "Just give the word, and my team will properly assign power to the stealth drive as well as a full ahead for propulsion. It's been an honor, sir."

"Likewise, Adams."

"Admiral, the Normandy is now linked to all the fleets and is prepared for your communication," Traynor also came to full attention and gave him a salute.

The senior officer returned her greeting respectfully but silently and climbed the stairs to the galaxy map. Years of battle scarred his face, but with those scars also came wisdom and tenacity. Like Shepard, it seemed like nothing would break his determination. "We come together today to face a foe unlike any other," he began.

"Our cultures are all different, as are our societies and beliefs. But today, we stand as one. One voice, one goal, one mission. One heart, one soul, one solution." Hackett paused to shift upon the weight between his feet. "We must take our combined might and as one galaxy, bring it down upon the Reapers. They may destroy our ships here in space or knock down our troops planet side, but they will not crush our spirits. Organic and non-organic, we all have one. Let us truly remind them why they will _not_ cause our minds or our bodies to stagger with fear. Today, it will all end, but no matter the final result, we will not go out quietly into the night. Be proud of yourselves and stand strong." He nodded to Traynor and made a gesture to her that he was finished with his speech.

"Well said, sir," Shepard stated and shook his superior's hand. "I couldn't have done any better myself."

"Is your civilian ready to depart your ship?" Hackett agreed and inquired.

"She is, Admiral, sir," Oriana Lawson spoke up from behind them all. She and Miranda exchanged one deep but final hug. "Thank you both for letting me have this opportunity. And thank you, Sam."

"It was my pleasure," Traynor announced with a smile. "You'll be serving under Coms Specialist Shingen Uesugi. He's absolutely fabulous and is a wicked chess opponent. Take care of him for me."

"I will, and goodbye to you, too, Commander Shepard. I know that you're going to kick those Reaper bastards out of this galaxy and into the next." She gave Shepard a hug as well then followed Hackett with his men out of the airlock.

Hackett turned to Shepard before he departed the Normandy. "You've made a believer out of everyone in the galaxy, Shepard and done what many have deemed goddamned impossible, including me. Stay strong and keep your head in the game, soldier," he told his underling and shook his hand.

"Aye, aye, sir," Shepard acknowledged him with a final salute. As the Alliance cruiser pulled away from the Normandy, Miranda joined him on his left behind Joker. He reached for her hand and kept it close by his side. "All right, Joker. Let's go home."

"Aye aye, sir. All hands, stand by for the jump through the relay." The pilot quietly fingered his way through the holo screen's various systems to double check that everything was ready. After a quick but positive confirmation from EDI, he cracked his knuckles. "Here we go, Commander in 3…2…and 1.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Just beyond the Charon relay, Local cluster, Sol System

Normandy SR-2 Cockpit, 0539h

"The Normandy's plotted jump through the relay has been successful. The power grids are completely balanced, and our drive core remains at a stable temperature. Gunnery Chief Vakarian has informed me that our weapons systems are online and ready upon your command. Should we engage our stealth system, Commander?" EDI inquired to Shepard, who kept his eyes directly peeled upon the thousands of space crafts ahead of him.

"Can the Normandy address all of Sword that's present?" Shepard questioned her.

Joker double checked to ensure that the Normandy was staying upon her course, out of harm's way, and tapped his holo screen twice. "Traynor's already established the link through the buoy, Commander. That's an affirmative."

"No to the stealth systems, EDI. If the Reapers didn't see our giant fucking armada coming through the relay, then there's no point in our hiding one ship for now." Shepard released Miranda's hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Joker, give me an update on the fleets."

"EDI, take the helms for now," the pilot ordered her.

"Already done, Jeff," the android responded coolly.

"Thanks. Now let's see here," Joker said to himself as he guided his index finger along his holo screen. "Ah. Great. Asari fleets…ready. Turian fleets…ready. Salarian fleet…ready. Geth fleets…uh…" He squinted at the peculiarly coded message in front of his eyes. "Ready, I guess. Batarian fleet…they're present as are the Hanar and the Elcor. Woo hoo, the solitary Volus dreadnought made it through! And last but not least…the Quarians are ready. We're just waiting for the remainder of the Alliance fleets to make it through now, which should be…" the pilot shifted around in his seat as he read the screen. "Oh, the Crucible's convoy is coming through the Arcturus relay right now, sir. That's everyone, then."

"Tell Sword to stand by upon my command to fire when ready," Shepard commanded him.

"Aye aye; the message is away, Commander."

_Organic life is nothing but genetic mutation, an accident. Your years are measured in decades and centuries. You wither and die. Your extinction is inevitable._

"Quarian fleet is standing by," the bridge's speakers echoed as Han Gerrel replied.

"The Turian fleet will fire at will upon your word," an admiral stated.

"The Asari will engage as you wish," a Matriarch commander answered.

"Salarians are on the mark," a voice that was reminiscent of Major Kirrahe rapidly declared.

"We are prepared to acknowledge your orders," a geth prime told him.

"The Alliance is rearing for some action, Commander. Let's go get 'em," a female commander reported in.

_You do not yet comprehend your place in the galaxy. Submit to us immediately. You escaped from us once before, Shepard, but you cannot do so now._

"Uh, Commander? Are you all right, sir? Everyone is pretty much standing by. You kind of blanked out on us for a moment," Joker's voice roused Shepard from his reverie once again, and Miranda touched his shoulder.

Without further ado, Shepard nodded his final approval. "All fleets fire and engage the enemy!" he exclaimed.

A nearly infinite amount of fire from the multiple fleets flew toward the capital class type of Reapers that hovered above Earth's orbit and around the Citadel. Some of them landed upon the mammoth ships, and some did not. After many rounds of direct impacts that merely breached one set of its kinetic barriers, one Reaper ship released a slew of oculi from beneath its tentacle like arms.

Shepard's next order was to release the fighter interceptors; not only did the Alliance do so, but so did the geth and the turians. The radio chatter that crossed through the Normandy's cockpit speakers was nearly overwhelming for Shepard's ears, but thanks to Traynor's and EDI's efforts, they all came through as clear as a bell one by one. When he was satisfied that the battle seemed to be taking care of itself, Shepard patted Joker's shoulder. "Okay, Joker, break us off from Sword, fire up the stealth drive, and let's make our way into the orbit so that Cortez can drop us down in London."

"Will do, sir. I was hoping to see some action soon," Joker replied with a smile.

"I have no doubt that you'll be seeing any less throughout the next few hours," Miranda spoke up. "In fact, this battle could take us _days_ to fight."

"You know, I was kind of enjoying the whole 'ignorance is bliss' thing for the majority of our voyage or 'hope springs eternal'. Thanks for reminding me about our odds," he scowled and turned his head around to face her briefly.

"There _is_ hope. I'm just saying that it's going to take us a long time to get to that 'light at the end of the tunnel' should you want to throw in another cheap and over used cliche." She leaned over to give Shepard a chaste peck on the lips. "I'll see you downstairs in the hangar bay."

As soon as she was out of ear range, Joker glanced upward at his superior. "Compared to her, Shepard, _I _am an optimist. Garrus finally removed that stick out of his ass, but I think that he may have unintentionally flung it across the galaxy and shoved it up hers. No wait, scratch that, Miranda has _alway _had one, and now it's started to grow _out_ of her-"

"Enough, Joker. Focus," Shepard groused and spun upon his heel.

"Wait, sir." The pilot hobbled out of his seat and rose to his feet. "I just wanted to say that no matter what happens down there…I mean…good luck, Commander. It's been a privilege." He raised a somewhat shaky hand to salute Shepard.

"We'll be back before you know it, Joker. Stay sharp." Shepard did the same, and afterward, he extended his hand towards his friend. "Pain in the ass that you've been from day one, I thank you both for your loyal service and your friendship."

"No, Commander, thank _you_." Joker accepted his hand and pumped it excitedly. "For EDI, for saving my life three years ago, for-"

"Look who's becoming sentimental," Shepard beamed and shook his head. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd value a person over a ship. And before you even think about it, Joker, permission to play chicken with a Reaper is denied, even if I don't come back."

"But sir-"

"_Denied_, Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. As you were," the commander bowed his head and gestured with it that it was time for Joker to resume his duties.

Skies above London, U.K.

Kodiak UT-47A shuttle, 0652h

Cortez smoothly guided the shuttle through Earth's blackened atmosphere, and the shuttle's four occupants checked their weapons a number of times. "Satellite images are coming through, Commander," the pilot informed Shepard. "Looks pretty grim."

Shepard made one final adjustment to his new delmucore overlay goggles and arose from his seat to get a closer look at the vid screen. "Holy shit. That doesn't even look like Earth," Vega exclaimed and squinted at the images. "I can't even tell _what_ that planet is."

"Still want to plan for that trip down to New Zealand?" Shepard tore his eyes away from the screen to glance at Miranda. She tightened her ammunition holsters upon her weapon belt and gave him a puzzled expression. "Don't you remember? Before I got captured by Cerberus, we talked about visiting Earth. You didn't want to go to Australia because of your father and suggested that we instead go to the home of the kiwi and what else have they got there…uh…sheep?"

"They also happen to have quite a few wonderful vineyards, remarkable verdant scenery, a gross of pubs, and a sport that I'm sure you might grow rather fond of watching. The sport did have its origin in England, but it's something of a phenomenon down there. It's something called rugby, but most of them just call it football," Miranda retorted.

"Oh, hell yeah, Loco. You'd _love_ it. I've played the game before, though right now I can't remember many of the rules because I was a little drunk when I learned to play," Vega nodded his approval. "I can't even remember where the hell I _was_ now. That was so long ago."

"War does that; it makes you feel older," Garrus spoke up and shifted around in his seat next to Vega. "That's something that _all_ cultures or races share."

"Scars, where most of us put on age by the day or minute, you do it by the second ten times to that power. Your face proves it all." The marine pointed to the turian's ragged mandibles.

"All right, Vega, where's the worst place you ever got shot?" Garrus jabbed him in the arm with a wide digit.

"Well-"

"_You _take a rocket to the side of the face while we're down here, and then we'll call it even."

Shepard's rich laughter filled the shuttle; Miranda even cracked a smile since she had been present during that particular mission. "Simmer down, you two, and let's focus on our objective," he gently rebuked them. "Now, we'll be providing cover for the other team that-"

Suddenly, Cortez momentarily jerked the shuttle to the left, and Shepard would have nearly lost his balance if he hadn't been holding onto the ceiling. "Sorry, Commander. We're taking fire," he told them all. Another blast of the Hades cannon made the shuttle lurch up and down almost spasmodically. Shepard turned his head to glance over his shoulder at his pilot.

"Damnit, the cannon just took out that other shuttle!" Cortez yelled.

"Change of plans, folks. Looks as if we'll be taking out that sucker for ourselves."

"But how would we even-" Garrus started.

"The other shuttle will likely be carrying heavy weapons. I'll take us as close as I can to their crash site and away from as many ground troops as I can," Cortez stated.

"Shepard, I'll scout out ahead of your unit and see if I can secure the shortest route to the shuttle," Miranda offered. "That way, your pilot can stay out of harm's way."

"What? No!" He removed his goggles, and his eyes flooded with panic. "You're staying with us."

"I'll be fine." Her azure eyes met his, and she activated her omni-tool. With a double tap to her screen, her entire body camouflaged, and he felt her fingers tickle the back of his neck.

"Trust me," she whispered into his ear. Her warm breath gave him goose bumps, and he literally shivered. Shepard twisted his body around, trying to get a fix on her position. Seconds later, she reappeared just where she had previously been sitting.

"Where did that tech come from?" Vega's eyebrows furrowed. "We don't have that onboard the Normandy."

"I might have bumped into a mutual friend of ours, who gave it to me as a gift on her way out of a Cerberus base."

"You saw Kasumi?" Shepard inquired dubiously. "No kidding."

"Well, she let me see her. I doubt that anyone else on that base did."

"She didn't mention it when I worked with her on the Citadel."

"Well, you also didn't mention that either." Miranda shifted herself around uncomfortably in her seat. "But this meeting occurred after you recruited her services."

"Uh-huh. Did she give you any advice?"

"It was a relatively simple task to interface this with my omni-tool. I don't understand what you're-"

"I meant about the two of us," Shepard clarified. "The last time I saw her aboard the Normandy before the Alliance impounded it, she told me to be gentle with you."

Miranda shook her head 'no.' "She said nothing of the sort to me. I shouldn't follow any advice that I haven't been given."

"Okay, Miranda. That sounds great." He gave her a winning smile and reattached the goggles to his face. "The Alliance always skimped their funding with intel; it'll be nice to get some from a source that I know will be 99.9% right."

"No pressure, Lawson," Garrus joked.

"And it doesn't hurt to add a new flavor to the radio chats. Having someone who can insult a person into a pile of crap onto the floor will be nice," Vega added.

"She did actually fire her weapon, too, Vega," Shepard got in the last word as the shuttle came closer to the ground. Miranda arose, pulled out her submachine gun, and gave one final glance to Shepard. She mouthed the words "be careful"; he returned it with "you too" and she cloaked herself. The shuttle hovered directly over the ground, and she jumped out onto the rubble before Shepard could vocalize anything else.

"Okay, Commander, it looks like we're about two klicks away from the grounded shuttle. That's the closest that I can get ya without any immediate Reaper threats in the area," Cortez told them all. "Are you all getting out here, or do you want me to chance it and try to get you any closer?"

Since Miranda was apparently already gone, Shepard removed his assault rifle from his gun rack and signaled his squad mates that it was time to go. "No, Steve. Once we're out, get the hell outta here. I'm sure you heard Miranda's plan, so if you can provide us air support, it would be much appreciated. But if it gets too hot, you cut loose ASAP. Understood, Lieutenant?"

"Aye aye, sir." The three men made their exit without looking back and immediately took in their surroundings. The kodiak disappeared into the sky seconds later.

"Miranda, how's it looking?" Shepard whispered.

"You've got about a dozen Reaper troops waiting for you that are sparsely dotting the area. I'm scaling the remains of an apartment building at the moment, so I can't give you specific numbers or types," she replied. "But let me get to the top here, and I'll get back to you ASAP."

"What do you want to do, Commander?" Vega demanded and crouched behind a corner of a crushed statue at the bottom of some stone steps. "Wanna flank 'em?"

"Stand by, Lieutenant. She'll only be a moment," Garrus said and looked through the scope of his sniper rifle. "Damn, all I can see is more rubble and debris from here. I'd have to move to see something."

Shepard watched Vega's hands go towards one of the frag grenades upon his belt and gave him a fierce but wordless scowl. "Wait," Shepard hissed.

"All right, I'm in position, Shepard," the Aussie's voice finally came through their radios. "Three marauders are all hiding west of your current positions, and the other nine cannibals are scattered just north of you. There appear to be plenty of heat sinks all around the area, too, should you run low on ammo."

"They could be empty ones. How do you know?" Vega interjected.

"I've got better than 20/20 vision without any sort of correction, and I'm wearing infrared contact lenses."

"Got any more Cerberus tech that you didn't tell us about?"

"Focus, Vega. Let's do this. Miranda, go on ahead and let us clear out the area," Shepard barked. "All right, James, go ahead and toss that puppy to get this party started." He gestured to the frag grenade that was sitting in Vega's gloved hand. "Garrus, stand by with your omni-tool to give the marauders an EMP charge."

"Yes sir," Vega responded.

"You got it," Garrus answered.

Half a second after his team mates confirmed Shepard's orders, Vega hopped up to get a fix on the cannibals. Finding Miranda's information to be correct, he threw it right at them. As soon as it blew up, the marauders all stood up in alarm. Garrus extended his omni-tool outward with an overload in response to their actions, and Shepard started to fire his assault rifle upon them.

Once the team rid the enemies of the immediate area, Miranda's voice came on over the radio. "Shepard, I'm sending you a new location to your hard suit computer. Follow it, and you should be clear of any threats for the moment. The path Lt. Cortez marked for you is now littered with hostiles." Some rapid gunfire came through her microphone.

"Miranda, what's your 20?" he inquired.

"It's not me firing, Shepard. I'm just above a squadron of marines that's getting pinned by a harvester. My cover's not blown yet. Going silent for now."

Shepard checked the data through his goggles and led his team forward through some narrow alleys at a jogging pace. They were now about half of the way to their goal. He wanted to go help those marines that Miranda had seen but knew that doing so would compromise their mission. The Hades cannon had to be taken out ASAP.

One area that Miranda had previously scouted to be safe was unfortunately now full of husks and cannibals. Shepard laid down an enormous shockwave to the husks while Vega and Garrus efficiently gunned down the cannibals. And unfortunately, just after this wave of enemy troops, a harvester spotted them. "Son of a bitch!" Vega yelled. "I thought that we were supposed to be free and clear here!"

"I don't know about you, Vega, but I can see that thing's got a pair of wings. That means that it can move a helluva lot faster than Miranda," Garrus shot back, rolled over towards an upside down Mako, and used it for cover.

"No, problem, Commander, I can take it out from here," Cortez suddenly broke in. The kodiak whizzed by overhead and fired two missiles at the harvester. One nailed the creature in the neck, and the other hit it in the heart. Unfortunately, that only took out its barrier and half of its armor. "Whoops, gotta bug out. I've got company on my six."

"Thanks, Cortez," Shepard returned. "Hit the bastard with everything you've got now!" His team sprayed the harvester with all of its ammunition, and the bird-like abomination finally came crashing down ten seconds later. Two brutes angrily growled in the distance and came charging towards the three team mates. Shepard quickly switched to his shotgun and unloaded two shells into one that came dangerously close to himself and Vega. Garrus hit the other with a proximity mine as well as an entire heat sink. "I'm out; could use some help here!" he yelled.

Vega sprang out of his crouch, threw a frag grenade upon the brute's shoulder, and rammed his shotgun's bayonet through the creature's back. His distraction proved invaluable to Garrus, who quickly reloaded his assault rifle, and continued to punish the abomination until its head made contact with the pavement.

The other brute that was in the area began to close in upon Shepard. Its armor plating was at about half strength, and the marine knew that he'd need more than two more bullets to put it down. So he quickly fired those, charged into the mutant, and slammed his fist with a biotic punch into the beast. "Shit, it's not dead yet!" he screamed in surprise and rolled away.

"Now it is," Garrus announced proudly and added another few rounds into its thick skull. "When are you ever gonna make good on all those drinks you owe me, Shepard?"

Shepard straightened, refilled his empty shotgun, and pumped it up. "Thanks, Garrus. 'Fraid I'm a bit strapped for cash and doubt that we'll find a place down here that's got anything cold."

"Shepard, here's another nav point," Miranda informed them. "The ground shuttle is less than one klick away from you now. I'm closing in on the position but can't get too close right now. It's completely infested with Reaper ground troops, but the good news is that the shuttle's heavy weapons are intact. I can't tell how many are specifically scattered among the wreckage, but maybe if I get a bit closer…-" Some static garbled her transmission.

"Wait, Miranda," Shepard ordered. "Hold position. I'm losing you."

"What? Repeat your last message, Shepard."

"I said to hold position," he demanded more slowly and doubled the volume of his voice.

"I copy, Shepard. I'm still safe, don't worry."

"Roger that. We're making good time, and it looks like," he calculated the distance in between the two points, "we can meet you in about five minutes."

"If we sprint, maybe," Vega muttered under his breath. When Shepard cut off his radio's mic, he made his way over to his other squad mates. "Look, Loco, I appreciate you wanting to get to your woman ASAP but have a heart, man! Scars and I are just barely catching our breath here, and you're promising Legs a house with a little white picket fence and a garden already…-"

"Can it, Lieutenant. I want to take out that cannon, and I'm _not _losing sight of our target here. The faster we do this, the faster Hammer can land and kill that goddamned Reaper in front of the conduit," Shepard spat. "I've had enough of your smart-assed comments today. And I'm sick of telling you that _that's_ what my mind is focusing on, and not Miranda."

Vega bit the inside of his cheek and swatted his hand in the air dismissively at Shepard, who gave him a bitter glare.

"Well, I for one am ready to go," Garrus pointed to himself. "You're not going to let some old turian outrun you to our goal, are you, Jimmy Vega?"

The younger marine's irreverent smirk returned. "Hell, no, Scars. Right behind ya."

Minutes later, they came within range of the grounded Alliance shuttle. And just like Miranda had told them, there was a deep pervasion of Reaper forces waiting for them. After they cleared them out, Shepard led his team to the shuttle. The Hades cannon made another deafening blast and shook the ground as his eyes scoured the debris for any scattered heavy weapons. When he finally found one, the sound of a dissipating cloaking field alerted him to Miranda's presence. She jumped down from a rather tall pile of rubble and joined him. "Fancy meeting you here, Commander Shepard," she smirked.

"What's this?" His forehead crinkled as his eyes searched her body for wounds and pointed to a tear in her suit as well as a large gash.

"I got caught on a fence. It's just a scratch," she shrugged.

His teeth pressed themselves firmly against each other for a few seconds. Then he relaxed and lifted up his shoulders in surrender. "If you say so." Shepard whirled around and primed the Cain. "Uh, by the way, I think all of you might know this, but just in case you don't remember, this baby is a mini-nuke. You might want to cover your ears-it's three times louder than hearing that cannon fire," he yelled through another blast.

The other three took cover and waited for him to make his shot. Five seconds later, the Cain finally followed through, and the projectile landed perfectly down the Hades cannon's throat. Just as the cannon was about to fire into the sky again, it exploded into millions of pieces. "Hooah, right on the money!" Lt. Cortez exclaimed over the radio. "Hold on, Commander, I'm coming to extract you!"

"Thanks, Steve. We'll hold the line for now," Shepard replied.

"For crying out loud, Shepard, will you _stop_ using that damned cliche?" Garrus groaned and loaded a fresh heat sink into his assault rifle. "It's getting older than a bunch of expired power cells."

"Hey, Scars, what was your last count during that last bout?" Vega inquired and picked up a few frag grenades that were scattered among the remains of the Alliance shuttle. "I think I was at fifty-nine."

"I'm surprised that you could get past the number two," the turian shot back.

"Oh yeah? Well, if you run out of ammunition, you can _always_ switch to the stick up your-"

"Heads up!" Shepard screamed as a harvester just dropped about a dozen enemies in their area. A handful of marauders and cannibals began to close in, and the team prepared themselves for immediate combat.

"Ha! Numbers sixty and sixty-one are in my sights!" Vega yelled and fired his shotgun several times.

"Not bad, Vega. Too bad that I'm on seventy already," Garrus laughed, overloaded a marauder's shield, and Shepard biotically pulled it towards their line of sight. Miranda nailed the creature with a hail of bullets.

A blood-curling scream filled the streets as a banshee floated towards them all.

"Oh damn. Just when this couldn't get any worse," Shepard muttered and checked his pouches for his ammunition.

"How much have you got left?" Miranda asked and crouched next to him.

"No more than three clips," he responded despondently. "Those banshee bitches take a lot of firepower to bring down."

"We'll start with biotics, Shepard. Come on, we'll make it outta here."

He nodded reticently and double checked his assault rifle. Miranda kept her eyes peeled upon the beast and launched a concentrated warp field upon it. Moments later, she followed through with a spray of bullets. "Garrus, I need a proximity mine on the asari zombie," Shepard ordered. "And Vega, toss a grenade over to me if you can."

"Yes, sir," both squad mates replied in unison.

Garrus threw out his proximity mine, and Vega rolled the explosive carefully onto the ground over to his superior officer. Shepard unfortunately was in the middle of firing his rifle; he couldn't retrieve it, so Miranda skirted herself around him and did so. "Cortez, give me an update. Where the hell are you?" Shepard demanded as he took the grenade from her.

"I had to evade a patrol of harvesters just a minute ago, sir, my apologies. Looks like I'm clear, no, oh Mary, mother of God…-" the pilot yelled.

Suddenly, the kodiak went sailing past their fight. Its aft thrusters were clearly on fire. "STEVE!" Shepard shouted in panic.

"I'm okay, Commander. I just gotta land this bird soon; looks like I won't be able to pick you up. Sorry, sir!"

"Damn! Stay out of sight, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir, I will."

Shepard threw the grenade at the banshee, who just started to travel closer to their party. He hugged the wall that he and Miranda were sharing while she continued to pierce the creature with bullets and another warp field. Garrus and Vega held off some more cannibals and a marauder. "This is Commander Shepard, requesting an immediate extraction. My team's getting low on ammo, and that cannon is permanently off the London map You can now initiate the landing of Hammer forces."

"Hang on, Shepard, we read you. It's Anderson; we've got a fix on your location and are currently headed towards you," the admiral answered.

The banshee's barrier was finally down, and Shepard emptied his second to last clip upon it. Miranda's eyes frantically scoured the area's refuse as he reloaded. Finally, she spotted a pile of fully loaded heat sinks, but unfortunately, the banshee was far too close to it. "I've got something, Shepard. I'll head for the ammo if you'll cover me." She shoved her fully loaded submachine pistol into his hands, activated her cloaking field, and vaulted over the lower section of the wall. Thankfully, his reflexes were quick enough that he caught the pistol with one hand and shot upon the banshee with the other.

Garrus and Vega held their own against more marauders, husks, and cannibals that just seemed to appear out of nowhere. The banshee's armor was now losing strength finally; Shepard was now completely out of ammo. He threw down the rifle and tried to keep an eye upon the thin outline of Miranda's cloaking field as she crept towards the heat sinks. She successfully scooped up several and lined her pouches with them around her weapon belt. Unfortunately, the banshee grew tired of launching its biotic attacks futilely against Shepard and now became extremely interested at the smaller opponent whose cloaking field just disappeared to its left. And the prey wore very little armor.

_We are the harbinger of your ascendance. Nothing stands against us; our power is unmatched._

The banshee screamed again and launched itself towards Miranda. "NO!" Shepard cried and let an entire clip loose from the submachine pistol. It merely drained the creature's armor to half, and he cast the weapon aside to the ground as well.

_There is no pain, there is no fear. We fight as one._

He gathered all of the biotic strength that his mind and implants could muster to charge into the banshee. A heavy warp field from Miranda slammed into the banshee next, and Shepard removed the shotgun from his back. Although it carried no ammo, it could still be utilized as a blunt instrument. He bashed the gun across the banshee's chin and deflected some blows from its claws upon himself. Finally, upon one more hit from the shotgun, with one last scream, the banshee fluttered to the ground. Shepard whipped himself around to see where Miranda had gone next; she hopped over a heavily charred desk in order to claim her fallen pistol.

_Embrace perfection, Shepard, and I will show you true power. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through your destruction._

One cannibal had broken loose from the group that was keeping Garrus and James occupied; it headed straight for her. _Aw, shit, not again!_ Shepard thought. _Why the hell didn't they have any armor in her size the last time we were at the Citadel?_

The sound of an incoming kodiak shuttle from the sky above did not deter Shepard from his goal. He shot himself across the battlefield towards the cannibal that was about to launch a grenade upon a completely oblivious Miranda, who was reloading her weapon. He unfortunately only came into contact with the arm that was throwing the grenade. After mashing his fist with a biotic punch into the cannibal, he instinctively rolled on top of her and shielded her body with his from the brunt of the grenade's blast. That same cannibal recovered from its fall and headed for the two of them; thankfully, James had turned to witness this and saved them from it with a blast from his shotgun.

"Commander, they're here!" he shouted.

Shepard lay panting on top of Miranda and groaned. "Sorry," he coughed, managing to keep his mouth away from hers somehow. "Are you okay?" he breathed.

She could merely just nod; the wind had been totally knocked out of her.

"Can you both get up?" Garrus demanded. "They can't stay here too long! More Reaper troops just keep coming up like weeds!"

"Yeah, Garrus, we're coming," Shepard said and tried to turn his head. When he did, his body reminded him that of his previous heroic actions and rewarded him with pain. He grunted and felt Miranda's hands creep about his sides to find the secondary release on his weapon belt for some medi-gel. "Aw, that's not it," he shook his head. "To your right. No. Ah, I think you've got it. Good. Wish that those hands could be elsewhere right now."

"Come on, Shepard!" the turian exclaimed and looked about himself. Vega manned the shuttle's turret to begin to fire upon the Reaper ground forces that had begun to close in upon them all.

"In a bloody second!" Miranda found her voice. "He's in pain!" Her fingers finally found the button, pushed it, and three seconds later, he groaned in relief. Garrus hurried over towards them and yanked Shepard off Miranda. He offered a hand to her as well, but she shook her head 'no', and arose. The two of them helped Shepard into the shuttle, and the aircraft finally took off


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The skies of London, U.K.

Kodiak UT-47A shuttle, 0802h

"You're a sight for sore eyes, Shepard," Anderson gave his underling a large beam and stood up from his seat. Shepard almost collapsed into it, and he threw himself against the back of the bucket seat in complete exhaustion.

"Thank you, sir. I'd shake hands with you, but," Shepard gasped and activated his omni-tool for another dose of medi-gel. "Think I'll just have a rest first."

"You must be Miranda Lawson." The admiral turned and offered his hand to her. She accepted it and gave him one firm shake before reclaiming her own.

"Never thought that I'd be glad to step onto an Alliance vehicle," she marveled.

"And I never imagined that I'd have the services of Cerberus' former second in command. It's good to see that your eyes were finally opened about the Illusive Man."

"Using weapons from your technologically superior enemies isn't always evil. He just went too far, probably because of those implants. The Cerberus that we were all fighting; that wasn't truly the organization that I had joined." Her eyes traveled over to Shepard's, who seemed to be mulling over something in his own mind.

"True enough. Look at the Thanix cannons that the Turians helped us develop. Those came from Sovereign's wreckage."

"And so did EDI," Shepard agreed. "She's been a lifesaver."

After a moment of quiet reflection among the shuttle's occupants, the officer who sported a red beret with the Alliance logo on it spoke up.

"We'll be sure to find a good place for someone with your talents, Ms. Lawson," an Alliance soldier with a London accent told her and gave her a nod. "Major Coats, at your service."

"I also have the ability to cloak, so I could provide some scouting reports, if need be." She sighed and brought her omni-tool to life. "Not sure why the damned thing malfunctioned in the last fight. Maybe I need to calibrate the software. I don't suppose you have a working extranet connection at your base of operations, do you?"

"We do," Coats informed her. "But it's a bit dodgy. You have to stay within a certain range. One of our com techs can assist you with that once we arrive."

"I was born here; hope I won't die here, too," Anderson announced despondently. "But Shepard, you've done it. Hammer will be landing very soon."

"How many?" Vega asked.

"Less than 50%, it seems."

"That few?" Garrus inquired. "Why?"

"The fighting here has been the worst that I've seen anywhere," Anderson told them all and rubbed his forehead. "The last time I was visiting this city…I don't even recognize it any more."

"It's remarkable that Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are still standing. I was inside that damned tower for three days, sniping at nearly anything that moved," Coats commented.

"Well, it's only because of Anderson's leadership that we've come this far and that the Resistance has been able to hold on for this long," Shepard finally spoke up. "It's too damn bad that it took a war like this to bring the whole galaxy together," Anderson muttered.

"Shepard's the one who did that," Vega reminded them.

"Yes, and that's the reason why I ordered you to leave. I hope you realize that, Shepard. You bring hope to these men and women; about forty percent of them have never even held a weapon before."

"I don't hold a candle to you, sir," Shepard said. His face became a question mark as he wondered why his gun rack seemed lighter than usual; then he remembered that he'd left his assault rifle behind to go chasing after Miranda. Oops. "I think that I might need a replacement for my mattock rifle when we get to the FOB, sir. I may have left it behind in the field."

"I can't promise that we'll have anything better than the standard Alliance Elkoss Combine avenger model, but we'll pull some strings and see if that's possible," Coats told him.

"We'll all be needing lots of heat sinks, too," Garrus informed them.

"And grenades," Vega added.

The shuttle came to a stop behind a barricade to drop them all off, and everyone exited the vehicle. "Coats and I will be upstairs in the west building," Anderson pointed in the opposite direction. "We'll meet you there. Ms. Lawson, Major Coats will be giving you your assignment in due time. We'll contact you on your radio with the details soon. Patch your radio into the following-"

"I'm aware of the Alliance's communication protocols," Miranda interrupted him.

Anderson's jaw tensed for a moment, but then relaxed as he remembered that she was there to help. "Shepard, in the east building is our coms specialist. He can interface you with whomever you'd like to speak with, in case some of your team didn't leave the Normandy."

"They'll all be here in person," Garrus announced proudly. "In fact, a couple of the engineers said that they wished they could come."

"As if either one of them could shoot," Vega joked. "Come on, Scars, let's give Loco a moment or two with Legs."

"Lieutenant," Shepard warned him, and Miranda rolled her eyes.

"I've been called far worse, Shepard," she sardonically remarked and made eye contact with the younger marine. "Let him keep digging his own grave."

"Uh, she's not serious, is she?" Vega wondered and began to slowly back away with his arms raised in surrender.

"Age comes with wisdom, Vega," Shepard laughed. "No, I want to have a few words with you first." He motioned to his pupil to come closer, and Miranda withdrew herself from them.

"I'll be over by the entrance to the FOB, Shepard," she informed him and switched on her omni-tool once more.

"Commander, I…I want to apologize for the shit that I was sayin' earlier. You know, about Legs and all. Guess it was the stress talkin'. I didn't mean…-" Vega began.

"It's all right, Vega. I know what it's like to have to follow somebody whose motives you weren't entirely sure of or didn't agree with," Shepard reassured him and gave him a pat on the forearm. "I was out of line to cut you off like that, too."

"So, I guess this is it, no? One last push forward, Commander?"

"What, no Loco?" Shepard gave him a tiny smirk.

Vega sighed and hung his head. "I didn't know what I'd feel coming back here. I just knew that I wanted to, but now…it all seems so-"

"Cities can be rebuilt. They just need the souls and the will of the people to make it happen. That's what we're fighting for, Lieutenant."

"But what if this is all just some lollapalooza before the shit hits the fan, you know? My pastor once told my youth group about a battle, a spiritual and I think a physical battle that's gonna be huge. He called it Armageddon. I can't think of a better term for what we're going through right now than that."

"Who won?"

"Well, the good side, of course. But are we on the good side, Commander? We don't know what this mega weapon's gonna do. Is it gonna wipe out only the Reapers or will it make a big old black hole that's gonna suck _everything_ into it?"

Shepard let a finger glide across his upper lip as he pondered Vega's question for a few seconds.

"I'd bet on the fact that it'll only destroy the Reapers, Vega. The millions of scientists that have not only from our time but from the previous cycles before worked their collaborative asses off to make sure that this won't happen. Will it? I sure as hell hope not; I've got some land on New Canton..."

"Wanna make some babies with Legs and get a farm of your own running?" Vega's crooked smile returned as he relaxed.

"Do you see her as being the type to sit on a stool milking the cow or bending over to pluck out the weeds from a vegetable garden for hours upon end?"

"Aw, hell no. Can she even cook?"

"I'm not gonna go there," Shepard laughed and shook his head 'no'. "But, hey, Vega, no matter what happens, it's been my pleasure to be your commander. You're a good man and a great soldier." He stuck a hand out towards his underling, who pumped it up and down energetically.

"And I hope it won't be the last. Good luck out there, Loco."

Shepard made his way over to the east side of the building, said his goodbyes to his fellow squad mates from the previous mission aboard the Normandy, as well as Cortez, and approached Ashley. Before he could begin the conversation, a private rushed up to him and delivered a vindicator assault rifle to him with a wordless salute. "Hey, Commander, it looks like you've still got some friends in high places. How do you feel?" Williams inquired.

"You took the words right outta my mouth, Ash," he chuckled. "A part of me wants to get this shit outta the way, and another part of me is begging me not to go up that ramp over there. I'd rather not let her out of my sight, but we all have to make sacrifices." He signaled her attention towards the FOB and Miranda.

_And I'm getting tired of being the one who's making the majority of them._ Shepard brushed away his inner conflict and gave Williams a thin smile.

"How about you?"

"I was thinking about Kaidan just a little while ago, and how he sacrificed himself so that I could live, well, so that we _all_ might live," Ashley's lips drooped. "I hope that he'd be proud of us all."

"Yeah. He would be, Ash. If he were here right now, he'd also have that spectre title and probably be concerned about how some of his biotic students are faring a few klicks from us. But he _is_ here, Ash." Shepard pointed to her heart, then his. "Let's honor his name today."

"I'll be more than happy to shove those Reaper bastards' tentacles up their asses yelling out his name." She paused for a moment when she saw him incredulously shake his head and shrugged. "On second thought, guess I'll just fight with honor."

"Always the soldier first and a lady second. What a spitfire you are."

"Wars aren't won with smiles and kisses. That's generally how they get started. Sir," she added as an afterthought.

His forehead crinkled with question. "How exactly-"

"Saren was kissing the Reapers' asses? Or at least, he was trying to."

"I see your point, Ash. Well, have you two uh…come to terms?" he motioned with his head over to Miranda, who was still preoccupied with her omni-tool.

"There are some things that won't change in this galaxy, Shepard, no matter how this fight turns out," Williams shook her head. "Lawson and I would still never actually get along."

"You still hate her, huh?"

"No. But you won't find either of us chatting over lattes or getting our nails done together."

"What about target practice?"

She actually seemed to think over that suggestion and tilted her head to the side. "Hmm, nope. Not interested. But she loves you, that I do know and can respect her now that I understand a little more about what makes her tick. She's not a bad shot for a civilian, either." With a much lower voice, she came closer to his ear. "Why do you keep stroking her ego and telling her that?"

"I don't know how good her hearing is, Ash," he whispered back and gestured to Miranda, who by all outward appearances, was oblivious of their conversation.

"So…I guess this is it, then." Williams sighed. "Semper Fi, Commander." She came to attention and saluted him.

"Your grandfather would be proud of you, Ash. So am I; you've earned every single one of those stripes on the shoulder of that uniform. Now, let's go kick some Reaper ass."

"You bet, Commander." He saluted her as well, took off his goggles, and jogged over to Miranda.

"So, did you get your orders…I mean…did they find a place for you yet?"

"I'll be with the 102nd Marine division; they're located a bit north of our current position. Samara is with them."

"Well, I'll be damned; I thought that she'd be supporting the Asari commandoes."

"Anyone who's got biotics has been allocated to barrier support. They're that desperate now," she shrugged. "You know, I heard that they're even taking in people who used to work for Cerberus."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Even I did at one point, too, so it's only natural that they'd keep going down that path." His face grew more somber. "I'm glad that you and your sister came with us. If you hadn't, my only means of communication with you would be over that vid channel."

"I am as well. Christ, that mission on Horizon seemed like it happened _years_ ago. And it's good that Ori wanted to help, too."

"I'm grateful…that I…that I'm able to get to hold you in my arms one last time."

She bit her lower lip with her upper teeth. "Now don't you think like that, Shepard. You can't lose that fire of yours."

"I haven't. I'm just...facing the music," he shrugged his shoulders. "We still have no idea of what this device is gonna do. I'm hoping that it won't be a giant doomsday machine and decimate the planet. Blowing up that Batarian system was hard enough."

"Wasn't that done with just an asteroid?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't that be easier for us to do now instead of all this?" His eyes glanced upward into the sky. "Take thousands of asteroids, give them propulsion, and launch 'em all at the Reapers in space. Then on the ground, we evacuate everyone and well…at least we'd know what the outcome would be."

"Regardless of what the Catalyst does do, you've done so much for the galaxy that should Earth explode and that destroy the Reapers, Shepard…"

"Yeah?"

"The only regret that I can think of today is that we didn't meet sooner." Her hand came up to stroke his cheek.

"Really? Would you have fallen in love with me before when I was blowing up Cerberus bases and wreaking havoc upon all your hard work?"

"Shepard, I didn't fall for you because of your actions alone. You were only carrying out the orders given to you from the Alliance brass; as was I in the past from the Illusive Man. I fell for a stubborn ass that is sometimes too sentimental for his own good and one who loves me for who I am as a person, not as an asset or some prize to be won in a contest." She traced the outline of his lips. "And it wasn't my hard work; those bases were under someone else's command. You on the other hand, certainly are."

He turned his head to kiss her fingers.

"Miranda, if you survive this, what do you hope to do next?"

"One thing at a time."

His eyes pleaded with her for a real answer. "Please," he whispered.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe…start another school like Grissom Academy or something. I did divert a lot of funds to the Alliance. Maybe I'll make an exceptionally large donation with a request to do so."

"Do you think that you'd ever want to go into teaching yourself?"

"Perhaps I'd consider advising the advanced students, but teaching basics to the beginners just wouldn't be my cup of tea. My patience only goes so far, as you know." Miranda reached out to draw his head closer to hers; the crowns of both of their foreheads touched. "I'd also like to rebuild some of our colonies. We'll obviously need some new planets to live upon since the majority of our cities have been decimated like this. Oriana will likely want to head up that project using Father's fortune. And what about you, Shepard? What are your hopes and your dreams if you survive this?"

"To be with you for the rest of my life. And doing whatever you'd like with you."

She lowered her eyes from his and hung her head. "There's one thing, Shepard, that…" her voice wavered. "That I can't do. I've tried to…-"

"I already know what it is, Miranda." He lifted her chin and forced her to gaze into his eyes. "And I don't think any less of you for what you _might_ not be able to do."

"But how…?" A few tears welled up within her eyes. Then reality dawned upon her. "T'Soni told you. How long have you known about this?"

"She didn't blatantly tell me this; I read over a few transcripts that she had run across that had been in the old Shadow Broker's dossiers. He had one on every single team member that was on the Normandy, along with a file on the Illusive Man, Anderson, and Commander Bailey. I've known about this for probably…oh…almost a year now," Shepard admitted. "Your file mentioned that you did try to conceive a child. But I don't care about that."

"You don't care that I tried or-"

"I mean to say that I don't think any less of you for your present condition. And that's why I worded what I originally said with the word 'might'. With all the miracles of science that are out there nowadays, I'm sure that they'd be able to fix it if that's what you want. Besides, there are many other ways to have a family should we both decide to go upon that avenue one day. I love you just the way that you are, Miranda. "

"Really?" she wiped the tears away before they could start to run down her face. "You still want me…?"

"You make me feel human, Miranda. Everyone else puts me up on a pedestal, almost like I'm some god or something," he said and made a motion over his head to demonstrate his point. "But with you, I don't _have_ to be the savior of the galaxy. I don't _have_ to give you a deeply emotional and poignant speech to get a response out of you."

She laid her head upon his shoulder, and they just held one another tightly for a while. Gradually, his cocky attitude came back, and he gave her a cavalier grin. "In fact, all I have to do is hit that spot right there beneath your jaw to make you hot for me." With that, he pointed to her neck, tilted it upward, and went in for the kill.

The gasp that emitted from her mouth caused him to smile into her neck; she pushed him away and bent her head towards his so that she could feel his lips upon hers once more. Both of their bodies emitted a cobalt field as their touch merged.

The sirens that were constantly blaring about them faded into nothing as well as did all the scattered gunfire. All that either lover experienced melded into one another as they explored one another's lips and mouths. What had begun as a kiss of crazed hazy lust transmogrified into a true sensation of two becoming one.

Both Shepard's and Miranda's earpieces mildly buzzed with Anderson's voice. He truly didn't understand or care about what was being said; he was so focused upon Miranda. She tore herself just inches away from his mouth. "I think…Anderson's trying to-"

He hungrily reached for her again and made contact with her lips as if he were dying of thirst. When he was satisfied that he had practically drowned her with desire, he finally let go, and she struggled to keep her balance in his arms. "Shepard, are you there?" Anderson's voice came through to him clearly this time.

"Yeah," he acknowledged his superior breathlessly.

"What's your 20?"

"I'll be up to the FOB in just a minute, Anderson." Although it pained her to do so, she slowly released herself from their embrace. "I'd better get up that ramp now before I lose the will to continue," he muttered.

"You'd better not, Commander. The Reapers are nothing compared to _my_ fury." Her eyes narrowed as she made a gesture towards the FOB with her head.

"And there's one more thing that you need to promise me."

"What's that?"

"Back on the Collector mission, Mordin told me that Cerberus operatives are all outfitted with cyanide capsules in their molars." He paused to study her for a moment. "Do you still have yours?"

She didn't answer him at first but rather looked away.

"Answer me, Miri," he ordered her in a gentle but firm tone.

"Yes," she sighed. "I still have it."

"Promise me that you'll never use it, no matter what becomes of me."

"Shepard…-" She attempted to turn away to hide the tears that had begun to fall, but he stopped her and wiped some of them away. He gave her one final nervous but gradual kiss, cupping one of her cheeks and rubbed the pads of his fingers along it.

"_Don't_ use it," was all he said afterward. "I love you, Miri."

She licked her lips and ran her fingers through his hair one final time. "I…won't." Even more bittersweet tears began to fill her eyes. "Damnit," she soughed. "Now…finish this…and find me."

With one final backward look, like a good soldier, he followed his orders and trudged up the wreckage to the FOB.

THE END?

**A/N**-It has truly been my pleasure to write this work of fiction, and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it. Thank you to everyone for your kind feedback. It is still warmly appreciated as my 'pen' mires its way through those practically endless paragraphs.

For those of you who are curious, yes, I am a supporter of the indoctrination theory. There are flaws with this theory, but you know what? There are also flaws with humans in general, not to mention the 3 "different" endings. I still highly respect the writers at Bioware for 95% of Mass Effect 3, and this novel is dedicated to their hard work, which is why I'm not going to progress the novel from this point. I hope that I've done the game some justice, despite the fact that some of us Miranda fans were thoroughly disappointed with the overall weakening of her character in the game.

The remark that Shepard makes towards Joker about 'playing chicken' is a reference to my earlier Mass Effect novel spin-off of Star Trek's "The Trouble with Tribbles". It's not intended to poke fun at the ending that the BW writers created. Besides, "playing chicken" would involve Joker flying the Normandy _into_ a Reaper, not away from the effects of the Crucible.

I may have softened up Miranda too much in some people's eyes, and I make no apologies; this is _my_ interpretation. However, I'm certainly willing to listen to anyone's differing opinions.

I was just listening to some music recently and found a very appropriate song that Miranda might listen to if Shepard sacrificed himself for the galaxy. "To Where You Are" by Josh Groban. If you haven't heard it before, it's an extremely beautiful ballad, and I'd recommend doing so.

This particular Shepard's first name is Angel, and I'm not sure how big that avatar by my profile is, so if you want the identity code to see him for yourself on the big screen, here it is:

531.G8D.L7D...6CK.C55.2LD.E36.


End file.
